Chardon, OH – Geauga County Probate-Juvenile Court Judge Timothy Grendell has been sanctioned for sending two boys to a youth lock-up facility to compel them to visit their father. The Supreme Court of Ohio determined Grendell violated ethics rules for judges in the state.
The court issued an 18-month suspension with 12 months stayed. Grendell is suspended without pay and must remain misconduct-free throughout his suspension or serve the full term.
Grendell’s actions came to light during a difficult child custody case involving Stacy Hartman and Grant Glasier. The couple’s three children had been described as “seriously alienated” from their father as they refused contact with him for over three years.
Grendell took over the case in August 2019, following a request from another judge. Despite efforts at therapeutic visitation, the children continued to resist engaging with their father.
In May 2020, after learning of the ongoing refusal, Grendell ordered the boys to visit Glasier on alternating weekends, with a constable overseeing the transfer.
Hartman dropped off the boys as ordered, but they voiced their unwillingness to participate, prompting the constable to contact Grendell.
The judge directed that the boys be detained for unruliness due to their refusal and approved a three-day detention without communication with their parents.
An appeals court promptly stayed Grendell’s original visitation order. In July 2020, the judge faced scrutiny over a GoFundMe regarding the boys’ detention, which led to an enjoinment of Hartman.
The Supreme Court found Grendell breached rules regarding judicial conduct and objectivity. The court’s opinion highlighted Grendell’s use of detention as a means to enforce visitation, which was deemed improper.
The court stated Grendell’s actions undermined public confidence in the impartiality of the judiciary. The investigation concluded Grendell lost his objectivity and failed to perform impartially in the case.