In a county where due process is supposed to be a given, disturbing claims are emerging that Allegan County law enforcement, particularly under figures like now retired Deputy Chris Haverdink, have repeatedly bypassed prosecutors and gone directly to Judge Roberts Kengis to secure arrest warrants. Several court transcripts and police reports, including documentation from 2022, raise red flags about warrant practices that seem to violate both the letter and the spirit of Michigan law.
Worse yet, Probation Officer Bradley Grew claims this was “standard practice.”
At the center of the controversy? Allegations of unsigned warrants, missing prosecutorial signatures, and judicial overreach cloaked in procedural silence.
Wait….How Are Arrest Warrants Supposed to Work?
MCL 764.1 requires that warrants for arrest, especially in felony and major misdemeanor cases, be reviewed and authorized by the prosecuting attorney.
This check is in place to prevent abuse of power and to ensure that neutral legal review occurs before a person is taken into custody (though in many counties review is never actually neutral).
The Chris Haverdink Pattern
But in Allegan County, some community members say that didn’t happen over several cases.
Police reports involving Deputy Chris Haverdink include disturbing procedural irregularities:
- Warrants issued without a visible prosecutorial signature
- Rapid approval by Judge Kengis, often based solely on Haverdink’s narrative, or worse, because Kengis demanded it from Haverdink
- Arrests initiated on questionable or thin evidence without documented prosecutorial review
These claims aren’t abstract. They’re drawn from court filings and firsthand experiences of residents who say they were swept into the criminal system without proper legal process.
The uploaded court files, one case specifically involving attorney Christopher Burnett, now controversially appointed as a judge, raises yet more concerns about ethical boundaries being tested in courtrooms that seem more like echo chambers than forums of justice.
A recent podcast with Judge Emily Jipp describes how judges regularly lean on the Sheriff’s department for support, which could lead to overfamiliarity.
A Rubber Stamp Instead of Oversight?
One of the most glaring concerns involves what isn’t on the warrant paperwork: the prosecutor’s signature.
In several cases, the documents show no evidence that the prosecuting attorney and sometimes the judge ever saw, reviewed, or signed off on the request.
That omission is more than a clerical error. It’s a potential violation of state law and a constitutional due process problem.
Why? Because it turns the judiciary into a tool of law enforcement, rather than a check on it.
Why It Matters
Allegan County’s justice system already has a credibility problem. From ex parte emails between judges and prosecutors to complaints of retaliation against defendants who assert their rights, the system increasingly resembles an insider’s game.
But when warrants are issued without prosecutorial oversight, the consequences are immediate and devastating.
Innocent people get arrested. Charges get filed before facts are verified. Community trust erodes.
This is not a matter of paperwork; it’s a matter of power.
Calls for Transparency
Multiple residents are now calling for:
- A state-level audit of Allegan County’s warrant procedures.
- A judicial conduct review of Judge Roberts Kengis.
- Immediate public release of warrant logs from the last five years along with the signatures (or lack thereof) accompanying them.
And frankly, it’s long overdue.
What’s Next?
Clutch Justice is preparing a full investigative timeline of cases.
If you’ve been impacted by these practices, or you have documentation, reach out. Because secrecy thrives in silence, and accountability begins with the truth.
