According to the commission's complaint, the incident occurred around 7:30 a.m. on December 13, 2023, when Knoll's 12-year-old grandson resisted getting ready for school. Knoll allegedly yelled at the boy and grabbed his face, tilting it upward.
After the boy began crying, Knoll's wife, Shawn, intervened. In response to her intervening, Knoll struck her on the head.
During his plea hearing, Knoll admitted to the assault, stating, "I struck her on the top of the head with a flat open hand."
The commission also alleges that Knoll showed disrespect to law enforcement during his arrest. He reportedly threatened a Grand Haven Public Safety officer with "repercussions for false arrest," saying an officer's "ass would be in a sling for a false arrest." The complaint further alleges that Knoll told a detective "fuck you" while leaving the interview room.
The Judicial Tenure Commission cited multiple violations of judicial conduct codes, including requirements that judges observe the law, avoid impropriety and treat others with courtesy and respect.
Under Michigan court rules, Knoll has 14 days to file a response to the complaint.
Knoll is currently serving a six-year term that expires in December 2026.
In 2022, Judge Karen Miedema refused to allow a black attorney who was undergoing cancer treatment to attend via zoom, but allowed a white attorney to Zoom instead on the same day.
This complaint was anonymized in the Judicial Tenure Commission's 2023 Annual report on page 24: http://cms4files.revize.com/mjtc/annual_report/docs/2023%20Annual%20Report.pdf
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