Judge Robert Bondy

A graduate of Michigan State University and Detroit College of Law, was elected to be judge of the 52-2 District Court in 2002. He is involved with the court’s Sobriety Court program, and MIP program.

Judge Travis Reeds

A graduate Central Michigan University and Wayne State Law School, was elected to the bench in 2014. Prior to being elected to the bench, Judge Reeds worked in the private practice with his father in Walled Lake. Reeds co-authored Michigan Criminal Procedure with his predecessor, Judge MacKenzie.

Judge David Law

A graduate of Notre Dame and Detroit College of Law, was appointed by Governor Rick Snyder in 2015 and was elected in 2016. Prior to being elected to the bench, Judge Law worked at a civil firm, was an Oakland County Prosecutor, and an Assistant Attorney General. Judge Law is active in numerous legal associations including the Oakland County Bar and Michigan District Judges Association.

The procedure for a misdemeanor criminal charge at the 52-1 District Court is as follows:

Arraignment at the 52-1 District Court

This is the first time you will appear in the court and come in front of a judge or a magistrate. At arraignment you will formally be told what criminal offense you are being accused of and what the maximum possible penalty is that you are facing. The judge is not asking if you agree with it or not, just simply if you understand it or not.

In almost all misdemeanor cases the 52-1th District Court will allow your lawyer to waive your arraignment and jump ahead to the pre trial. There are strategic reasons why you may or may not want to do waive your arraignment.

The judge will also address bond at this stage. Bond is a promise to return to court and may require you to pay money to the court along with other conditions such as random alcohol or drug testing.

In a drunk driving any many other offenses, the court will require the defendant to come to the court and set up random drug and alcohol testing prior to the pre trial even if the arraignment is waived, this is unique to this court.

Pre Trial at the 52-1 District Court

After your arraignment you will get a date to come back to the court. The next stage is the pre trial. At the pre trial your lawyer will speak with the prosecuting attorney, that is the attorney who is trying to convict you of a crime and see what can be worked out. If the parties cannot agree on anything then the case may be set for a motion, evidentry hearing, or trial.

Motions and Evidentiary Hearings

These hearings do not occur in every criminal case. They challenge legal issues like probable cause and reasonable suspicion but do not challenge facts. Facts, for the most part, can only be challenged at a trial.

Most motions are the 52-1th District Court are set as evidentiary hearings in criminal matters. This means that the arresting officer, or witnesses for the prosecution will have to appear and testify. You can think of it as a mini trial.

Trial at the 52-1 District Court

There are two types of trials, a bench trial where the judge will decide the facts of the case as well as the law, or a jury trial where the jurors will decide the facts and the judge will decide the law. If you are found guilty you will proceed to sentencing, if you are found not guilty then you are free to go. Most criminal charges are resolved without trial.

Sentencing at the 52-1 District Court

If you lose at trial, or if your lawyer works out a plea for you where you get some kind of deal then your next hearing will be the sentencing. Sentencing can be as simple as paying a small fine, or it can be the other end of the spectrum where you have to serve jail time.

In some cases you may be able to have your sentencing hearing the same day as your pre trial if your attorney has worked out a plea for you. This is very convenient for people who cannot miss additional time off work or live away from the court’s jurisdiction.

The prosecutor is the attorney that represents the city or state government and is against you. At the 52-1 District Court, each township or city has their own prosecutor. One year misdemeanor’s and felonies are handled by the State of Michigan’s Prosecutor’s Office.

Prosecutors work closely with police departments and their goal is to enforce the law. You should never talk with the prosecutor without your lawyer present. Any admission you make will be used against you.

Prosecutor for Novi, Milford, Wolverine Lake

Baker & Elowsky PLLC – 41850 W 11 Mile Rd, Ste 207, Novi, MI 48375

Prosecutor for South Lyon

Charles D. Snell – 34405 W 12 Mile Rd, Ste 200, Farmington Hills, MI 48331

Prosecutor for Lyon Township

Gabe Quinn & Seymour – 1026 W 11 Mile Rd, Royal Oak, MI 48067

Prosecutor for Commerce Township

Phil Adkison – 39572 Woodward Ave., Ste 222, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304

Prosecutor for the State of Michigan

Oakland County Prosecutor, Jessica R. Cooper – 1200 N Telegraph Rd, Pontiac, MI 48341

The 52-1 Sobriety Program involves intensive probation People enter the program voluntarily but they cannot leave the program voluntarily.

The benefit to someone entering the Sobriety Court program is that they avoid jail, are put on track to reinstate their drivers license, and they get intense treatment for alcohol abuse that has been proven to reduce the changes of recidivism.

Overview of the Sobriety Court Program at the 52-1 District Court

The information below has been taken directly from the 52-1 District Courts Sobriety Court Brochure

The 52-1 District Court Sobriety Program was implemented in March 2001. The program is based on a team concept involving the Judge, the Sobriety Court Program Coordinator, three Intensive Sobriety Court Probation Officers, four Sobriety Court Defense Advocates, a representative of the Office of the Prosecutor, and various substance abuse treatment providers. All members work together to support you in addressing and treating the substance abuse issues that resulted in placement in the criminal justice system.

Sobriety Court consists of a minimum of 18 months of supervision and consists of four phases. Advancement to each phase requires a demonstrated strong commitment to recovery.

The two initial phases are 4 months long each. The third phase is 6 months long, and the last phase is 4 months. During the first four months of the program you will meet weekly with your probation officer and alcohol counselor. Initially, you will also be required to alcohol/drug test daily and to attend AA daily. Also, you will appear before the judge at least one time a month. If you have driving privileges, you must have the Ignition Interlock with a camera installed on your vehicle from an approved provider. You will have a curfew of 10:00 p.m. during the beginning months of the program. At the end of phase one you will complete an application to enter phase two. Finally, to participate in Sobriety Court, you must live in the jurisdiction of the court and remain in the jurisdiction of the court during your participation in Sobriety Court.

Phase two is four months long and requires bi-weekly appointments with your probation officer, random alcohol/drug testing, AA attendance 5 times per week, bi-weekly individual and group counseling attendance, and a minimum of 35 hours of employment or 20 hours of community service. You will continue to appear before the judge at least once per month. At the end of phase two you will complete an application to enter phase three.

Phase three is six months long and requires bi-weekly appointments with your probation officer, random alcohol/drug testing, AA attendance 3 times per week, counseling attendance once every 3-4 weeks, and a minimum of 35 hours of employment or 20 hours of community service. You will have one review with the judge to transition to phase four of the program. At the end of phase three you will complete an application to enter phase four.

Phase four of the program is three months long and requires monthly appointments with your probation officer, random alcohol/drug testing, AA attendance once per week, peer/alumni counseling group attendance, and a minimum of 35 hours of employment or 20 hours of community service. At the end of phase four you will submit your application for graduation from the program.

Domestic Violence – Dismissed

Our client was accused of a domestic violence charge in Novi. Witnesses claimed they saw him shove his girlfriend around a gas station parking lot. Novi Police arrived on the scene and arrested out client for the alleged assault and batter on his girlfriend. We set the matter for trial and when the prosecutor couldn’t proceed due to lack of evidence the case was dismissed.

Probation Violation – Dismissed

Our client was accused of testing positive for cocaine and was admit that he had not used any. After doing research, we found that the state testing facility was reporting positive results for cocaine at a much lower level than what the federal courts use. The federal courts had to raise the detection level for cocaine after discovering food products like poppy seeds would provide a false positive. After our client took a polygraph test and passed, and we were able to show he had eater poppy seed bagels earlier that day the judge dismissed the violation.

Probation Violation – Dismissed

Our client was on probation for a drunk driving offense and was accused of testing positive for an illegal substance at a JAMS testing facility. We had our client submit to a hard test which revealed no such drug in her system. The violation was dismissed.

Retail Fraud – Dismissed

Our client was accused of stealing from a store in South Lyon and ultimately arrested. We were able to show the prosecutor that our client did not know the person with him was going to steal anything and the case was dismissed.