An Ohio judge was suspended after he sent two teenage boys to a lock-up facility to force the young individuals to visit their divorced father.
The Supreme Court of Ohio, in an 88-page slip opinion and summary, found that Geauga County Probate-Juvenile Court Judge Timothy Grendell violated ethics rules for judges in the Buckeye State.
Ohio Judge Suspended for Detaining 2 Teenage Boys
The court ultimately issued an 18-month suspension with 12 months stayed for the local judge. Additionally, Grendell was immediately taken off the bench without pay and is required to remain misconduct-free for the entirety of his suspension.
In the event that the Ohio judge engages in any additional ethical lapses, the stay will be lifted, and he will be required to serve the full 18-month suspension. The punishment stems from Grendell's first foray into the work performed by an Ohio domestic relations court, as before 2019, he had never worked on such a case, according to Law & Crime.
During that year, another judge emailed Grendell, asking him to take over a child custody case described variously by the court as "extremely difficult," "heavily contested," and "highly contentious."
The case was regarding the divorce of Stacy Hartman and Grant Glasier, and what they were supposed to do with their three kids. Over time, Hartman moved to Ohio from Florida, and Glaiser eventually followed to try and be closer to his children, one girl and two boys.
In the case, Grendell allegedly blocked the mother from administering COVID-19 tests on her kids and violated prohibitions against judges testifying about legislation unrelated to the legal field or their expertise, The Columbus Dispatch reported.
Charges of Misconduct
The judge testified on a bill that his wife, then-state Rep. Dianne Grendell, pitched to require the state health department to report COVID-19 statistics daily. The Ohio Supreme Court did not discipline Grendell on the testimony, saying that he had a First Amendment right.
In the latest case, the Ohio judge has been ordered to pay more than $23,000 in court costs, and the high court rejected two other counts of charged misconduct against the judge. Grendell had previously said that he did "nothing wrong" regarding any of the incidents.
The Ohio Supreme Court's conduct board initially recommended Grendell's suspension in October last year. However, it was not until a year later that the decision on the matter was actually made.
The two boys in the case were originally detained in May 2020, and Grendell said at the time that they were unruly for refusing to see their father. However, they reportedly told the court that the father had previously physically abused them, as per Fox8.
