Judge Steenland
Judge Catherine Steenland
The fate of Roseville Judge Catherine Steenland is the hands of the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office.
Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith recused his office from the hit-and-run case, which is typical in such instances when there's a possible conflict of interest.
The case was referred to the Prosecuting Attorneys Coordinating Council last month after Smith recused his office from the case, reports Jameson Cook of The Macomb Daily.
“We have our cases assigned to another office when a conflict exists, so we reciprocate when we are able,” says Maria Miller, spokeswoman for Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy.
Cook writres:
Steenland was investigated by Michigan State Police for her alleged role in an incident about 8:30 p.m. Sept. 25 in which police say she was driving a red Dodge Charger that struck a Chrysler 300 on Gratiot Avenue near Interstate 94 in Roseville and drove away. The driver of the Chrysler 300 got the Charger’s license plate number and called police. Officers tracked the number to Steenland’s home in Roseville about 9 p.m. and knocked on the door but no one responded, police said
Steenland returned to the bench Jan. 3 after being on medical leave for all but two weeks in October since July 21.
In 2008, near West Branch in Ogemaw County, she was arrested for drunk driving. She had a blood-alcohol content of .23 percent, almost triple Michigan’s legal standard, the paper reports. She pleaded guilty to driving while impaired by alcohol and was sentenced to 31 days in jail.
She was first elected to the court in 2002 and was re-elected to six-year terms in 2004, 2010 and 2016.
