Former Detroit mayor Kwame
Kilpatrick along with his attorney Michael Schwartz sit
attentively as they listen to Wayne County Chief Circuit
Judge Timothy Kenny hand down a decision. (Photo by HB
Meeks/Tell Us Detroit)
Groner
keeps
control
of
Kilpatrick
probation
case,
but
Chief
Judge
Kenny
will
assist
him
DETROIT
(Tell Us
Det) -
Wayne
County
Circuit
Judge
Timothy
Kenny
denied a
request
Thursday
to
disqualify
his
fellow
judge,
David
Groner.
Former
Detroit
Mayor
Kilpatrick's
lawyers
claim
Groner
is
biased.
Former
Detroit
Mayor
Kwame
Kilpatrick
will
face the
Wayne
County
judge he
fought
to have
removed
from his
case
March 24
for a
probation
violation
hearing.
Judge
Timothy
Kenny
ruled
that
there
was no
improper,
secret
meeting
between
Circuit
Court
Judge
David
Groner
and a
prosecutor,
and
there is
no
appearance
of bias.
Kenny
also
said he
sees no
evidence
of
involvement
with
Groner's
brother-in-law,
a top
administrator
in the
prosecutor's
office.
Kilpatrick's
spokesman,
Mike
Paul,
declared
Kenny's
decision
today a
victory.
“We do
not
consider
this a
loss,"
he said.
"Kenny
is
insisting
on
fairness,
accountability
and
swiftness.”
Paul
also
stated
the
former
mayor
would be
returning
to Texas
to be
with his
family.
Kilpatrick
is
accused
of
violating
his
probation
by
failing
to fully
pay
$79,011
toward
his $1
million
restitution
by Feb.
19. He
was
arraigned
on the
probation
violation
Tuesday
but was
told to
stay in
Detroit
until
the
disqualification
issue
could be
settled.
