Governor Appoints Keuvelaar Probate Court Judge

29 Years as Asst. Prosecutor - 16 years in Probate Court

March 22, 2015
By: O. J. Cunningham

On Wednesday March 18, 2014, Governor Rick Snyder appointed Asst. Prosecutor John C. Keuvelaar as the new Probate Court Judge. The appointment fills the vacancy left by the retirement of Judge Karen Tighe who held that post for the past 20 years.

"I was attending a Family Support Conference when I received the call," said a very excited John Keuvelaar. "I was so fortunate to have my wife, Amy, with me when I got the news. I immediately called my two kids (John and Caitlyn) then my mother."

Keuvelaar leaves the Prosecutor's office after 29 years with the last 27 years serving Bay County. Originally assigned to the criminal division, Keuvelaar took over the Probate Court duties specializing in Child Protective, Juvenile and Mental Health cases. In addition to these responsibilities, he was assigned to the Family Support Division and helped develop the user side of the Friend of the Court computer system that is now in use across the state.

Since handling the Probate Court responsibilities, Keuvelaar worked closely with Judge Tighe to address issue with families and juveniles including developing the Bay County Family Treatment Court. "This has been a very valuable tool for helping families in the Child Protection cases," Keuvelaar noted. "It was a group effort headed by Judge Tighe and key members of the Judge's staff and local bar. We worked together to develop this program. It is an important tool to helping parents overcome their addictions with the ultimate goal of reunifying them with their children."



Keuvelaar also noted his revamping of the Truancy Protocol to address those middle school and high school students that have chronic absentee issues. He also established a procedure for holding parents criminally responsible for not sending their elementary age children to school on a frequent basis. "We can't afford to let our children get behind in school, especially at an early age," stated Keuvelaar. "By law, the schools make several efforts and contacts with the parents to help problem solve and insure their children attend school. When the absences continue, then the court must intervene to enforce school attendance compliance."

Keuvelaar noted one of the biggest tasks was writing the Bay County Child Abuse Protocol. "Former Prosecutor and now Circuit Court Judge Joe Sheeran came to me and asked me to write the protocol for Bay County. That meant balancing all the needs and requirements of law enforcement, DHS and our office in a way that all units could perform their duties cohesively thus insuring the protection of children. This took many phone calls and discussions while fitting it in with a full court schedule," explained John Keuvelaar.

Keuvelaar's love of working with families and children has extended well beyond the courtroom. He has been an active participant of youth sports having coached 52 teams in various sports and levels as well as being a board member of the Essexville Hampton Little League. He was the head coach of the 2004 Girls Major All-Star team that went to the Little League Softball World Series in Portland, OR. "That was such a great and memorable experience for all of us. After winning States, through fundraisers and the generosity of the community, we rented a bus so all the families could travel to Joplin, MO and watch their girls play. Then after winning the Central Region there, the parents all flew to Portland to experience it all with their kids. We saw a lot of Oregon. It was an experience we will never forget."



Keuvelaar plans on assuming his new duties as Probate Judge on March 30. The ceremonial swearing-in is projected to be Tuesday April 7 at 4:00 pm pending courtroom availability.