Retired Holland District Court Judge Bradley Knoll initially pled not guilty to misdemeanor assault and battery after he was charged in the February 13th incident.
According to witnesses, Knoll became frustrated with an unruly defendant and threw three objects at the man from the bench. One object, a self-inking stamp, struck the defendant, who was uninjured.
Ultimately, Knoll pled guilty and was sentenced to just over $1,300 in fines and costs. He also wrote a letter of apology to the defendant.
Seventy-four-year-old Knoll was first elected in 2002 and re-elected in 2020, serving as chief judge in the 58th District Court. His term was set to expire at the end of this year, and age limits would not allow him to run for re-election, but he was ordered by the Judicial Tenure Commission to retire in July after pleading guilty to misdemeanor domestic violence following an altercation with his wife at their Grand Haven home in 2023.
Knoll completed probation in that case and had the charge dismissed thanks to a state program for first-time offenders.
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