WXYZ's Ross Jones confronts Judge Vonda Evans.
WXYZ's Ross Jones confronts Judge Vonda Evans.
Update, 7:57 p.m. Tuesday: In the second of two parts, Ross Jones reports that Chief Wayne County Circuit Court Robert Colombo says Judge Vonda Evans could face scrutiny from judicial regulators because of WXYZ's findings that she lied about her attendance at work.
“We expect judges to tell us the truth as to when they’re here and when they’re not here,” Colombo tells WXYZ. “Because the Supreme Court says if you lie, you shouldn’t be a judge.”
A station investigation found that Evans submitted false attendance information, showed up to work late and left early and—on some days—failed to come to court at all.
“Would you say that I should have been there earlier?” Evans asks Jones. “Absolutely, I’m wrong. Guess what, I’ll admit that.”
♦ See the full broadcast story here.
Original article, Tuesday morning:
Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Vonda Evans, one of the more recognizable and outspoken judges on the Wayne County Circuit bench, is under fire for her attendance and for showing up late to work.
Undercover surveillance and court records show a pattern, with Evans arriving at work late, leaving early and—on some days—not showing up while still earning nearly $140,000 a year, reports WXYZ's Ross Jones.
Evans thinks the criticism is unfair, telling Jones:
“When your job is done and you’ve done it right, you should be able to have the ability to leave.”
Other Wayne County judges work far less, she claims. But Chief Judge Robert Colombo is troubled.
“It’s very disturbing to me that she arrives at 10 o’clock in the morning,” Colombo tells WXYZ. “That’s a clear violation of our local administrative order.”
WDIV's Mara MacDonald, who also broadcast a story about Evans' on Monday night, reports that three years of records place her in the low-middle to bottom of the pile in the weekly court docket management numbers.
"There is no question in my mind Judge Evans knows how to manage criminal cases," Judge Colombo tells MacDonald. "The issue with Judge Evans, as it was and apparently is now, is whether Judge Evans is working a full day."
