UNDATED (WHTC-AM/FM, Apr. 5, 2024) – Sentences were handed down this past week in two separate cases.
Austin Buter will serve between two and 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges of unarmed robbery and a habitual offender second offense, in exchange for a habitual offender fourth offense being dismissed. The 22-year-old Zeeland man admitted to throwing a hot cup of coffee in the face of a female employee at a convenience store off of Adams Street and 96th Avenue east of Holland last Christmas morning, and then fleeing with an undisclosed amount of cash from the register. The victim recovered from minor burns to the neck and chest, while Buter was arrested about a month after the incident.
Meanwhile, the man who arraigned Buter, 58th District Court Judge Brad Knoll, awaits possible disciplinary action by the state Judicial Tenure Commission after being sentenced himself on March 26th to four months probation, as well as attending anger management classes. He was accused of assaulting his spouse last December, and the case was handled in Muskegon District Court, as all Ottawa County judges recused themselves in the matter due to possible conflict-of-interest issues. Knoll’s record will be cleared upon successful completion of this sentence, and due to state age laws involving judges, he cannot run for reelection in 2026. He has remained on the bench during this time, although recusing himself from any domestic violence cases that may have been put in front of him.
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