Former Ottawa County 58th District Court Judge Bradley Knoll has pled guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge stemming from a contentious hearing he oversaw near the end of his judgeship.

Knoll pled during a final pre-trial conference Sept. 29, overseen by Muskegon Judge Geoffrey Nolan. The case was handled by the Kent County prosecutor’s Office. Knoll previously pled not guilty on May 28 and had been scheduled for trial.

Knoll was sentenced to pay a fine of $675 and the case was closed Sept. 29.

The incident took place Feb. 13, a month before state officials ordered Knoll to retire early following a domestic assault event in 2023. In that case, Knoll pled guilty and was sentenced to four months’ probation and anger management classes.

According to transcripts obtained by The Sentinel, the incident was preceded by a civil bench trial between plaintiff River Club Apartments and defendants/tenants Carlos Gutierrez and Karl Wayman, the latter of whom wasn’t present.

The apartment complex ultimately sought possession due to nonpayment of rent, though there were also arguments over pet rent and paperwork for an emotional support animal.

River Club Apartments was represented by attorney Somchit Hart from The Law Office of Aaron Cox. Gutierrez, 43, chose to represent himself — which is ultimately where proceedings started to go awry.

According to the 75-page transcript, Gutierrez (the named victim in the assault case) had trouble throughout the trial understanding the rules of the courtroom. At multiple moments, confusion turned contentious, with the defendant claiming the judge hadn’t reviewed the exhibits he’d submitted. Gutierrez also refused exhibits presented for his review by Hart and, during the testimony of the first witness, Gutierrez objected to every exhibit proposed.

During the hearing, Knoll looked to hold Gutierrez in contempt. As questioning of the first witness continued, Gutierrez continued to interrupt, asking if he was really in contempt, and asking if he could go home. Knoll said he would waive the contempt fees if Gutierrez abided by the court’s rules.

After some discussion, including a requested recess and a requested attorney (the court system doesn’t appoint attorneys in civil cases), Gutierrez began to cross examination the witness. He became increasingly more frustrated, and repeatedly accused the witness of lying.

The conflict boiled over when Gutierrez said “bullsh*t” in response to a request for clarification for Knoll. Gutierrez repeated the expletive four times.

A court deputy was called over during some back and forth over whether documentation had been read. Knoll responded by saying he’d read what Gutierrez had filed and that it was mostly “legal gobbledygook.” Knoll and Gutierrez then argued about how to properly admit a file into evidence.

Gutierrez then requested a recess for the weekend. Knoll said he would consider a recess after allowing the plaintiff to conclude their case. The deputy was allowed to return to his station and Gutierrez resumed cross examining the witness. After another back and forth between Gutierrez and Hart, the former presumably jumped out of his seat at a response from the witness.

It’s at this point, the transcript implies, that something was thrown from the bench. All quotes below are written according to the transcript.

“What is wrong with you?” Knoll said. “What gives you the right to jump out of your chair over the response to a question?”

“It’s outrageous,” Gutierrez said.

“No, it’s not. It’s an answer to a question,” Knoll said.

“I’m getting scared because you’re …” Hart said.

“Because he threw that? Nah-uh,” Gutierrez said.

“No, because you were … I don’t know if he is coming towards me, Your Honor,” Hart said.

“What? Are you getting scared of me?” Knoll said.

“No … just a quick movement from the defendant,” Hart said.

Knoll then decided to recess and reschedule.

— Cassidey Kavathas is the politics and court reporter at The Holland Sentinel. Contact her at ckavathas@hollandsentinel.com. Follow her on X @cassideykava.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Former Ottawa County judge pleads guilty to misdemeanor assault

Reporting by Cassidey Kavathas, Holland Sentinel / The Holland Sentinel

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