CHARDON, Ohio — Over five years since News 5 Investigators exposed how Geauga Juvenile and Probate Judge Timothy Grendell locked up two teenage boys during the pandemic for refusing to see their dad, the judge continues to preside over cases that shape children's lives.
Watch our report on the brothers' case:
RELATED: Two teen brothers refused to see their dad. An Ohio judge locked them up during a pandemic
The Ohio Supreme Court has yet to act on the Ohio Board of Professional Conduct's recommendation last fall to immediately suspend Grendell for 18 months without pay, with six months stayed on the condition that he refrains from further misconduct.
News 5 Investigators found Grendell's case is the oldest judicial and professional misconduct case on the court's docket.
Brothers detained over custody dispute
The backbone of the disciplinary case against Grendell stems from his decision to order Conner and Carson Glasier, then 13 and 15, in solitary confinement for three nights at the Portage-Geauga County Juvenile Detention Center during the pandemic.
Their crime: The brothers refused to spend time with their estranged father.
"I was put in a cage, basically," Conner told us during our interview in 2020.
During their time in detention, the brothers were not allowed to call their mother or talk to each other.
During the same interview and through tears, Carson said, "He [Conner] needed me. I can't even imagine how it was for him."
Their mother, Stacy Hartman, first shared their story with News 5 Investigators after the incident happened in 2020.
"I'm trying to figure out what was in the best interest of the kids ... to throw them in jail over this," Hartman said.
"He [Grendell] needs to be held accountable for what he's done," she said.
Disciplinary case
The brothers' detention over a custody dispute is one of three incidents that led to the Ohio Board of Professional Conduct's recommendation to suspend Grendell.
The other two incidents involved the judge's ongoing disputes over billing and oversight with Geauga County Auditor Charles Walder and his testimony in support of legislation about COVID-19 statistics, which was sponsored by his wife, former Ohio lawmaker Diane Grendell.
In November 2022, the Ohio Office of Disciplinary Counsel filed a complaint with the Ohio Board of Professional Conduct requesting that Grendell be found in violation of the Ohio Code of Judicial Conduct and the Ohio Rules of Professional Conduct and that he be sanctioned accordingly.
In October 2024, the Ohio Board of Professional Conduct filed a report with the Ohio Supreme Court recommending Grendell's suspension.
Watch:
RELATED: Geauga Co. Judge Timothy Grendell will appeal recommendation to suspend him from the bench
An Ohio Supreme Court hearing in which Grendell's attorney argued that he should not be suspended was held in February.
Since then, no ruling has been issued by the state's highest court.
'I find it unconscionable
"I go to many events in the public... and the public hasn't forgotten it," Geauga County Auditor Chuck Walder said about Grendell's case.
"They want closure," he said. "We want a decision and we want to be able to put this to rest."
"I find it unconscionable that we can't resolve this matter in a timely manner," he said.
Walder and Grendell have argued for years over the court's bills and oversight, including Grendell's recent decision to buy and control a separate IT system for his court.
"The judge has a pattern of doing what he wants to do, when he wants to do it," Walder said.
'It is unusual'
Jonathan Entin, a law professor at Case Western Reserve University, said it is unusual for the Ohio Supreme Court to take so long to rule on a case involving legal or judicial misconduct.
"But it's in everybody's interest for the court to be careful and to make the right decision, whatever that turns out to be," Entin said.
Entin said there are multiple reasons it may be taking the court longer to rule in Grendell's case.
He said judicial and legal misconduct cases are complex, as are some of the legal issues specific to his case.
"Probably some of it reflects the fact that Judge Grendell has good lawyers, who are raising every serious legal argument that they can think of," Entin said.
He said Grendell's attorneys raised seven objections, including one related to free speech regarding his testimony.
"I do think that it's a sufficiently serious legal argument that the Ohio Supreme Court can't simply dismiss it out of hand," Entin said. "Part of the reason the case may be taking as long as it is taking has to do with the court's effort to resolved that issue. It's a sufficiently challenging issue that the court may, in fact, be divided."
Grendell's response
Grendell declined to speak with us on camera for this report.
He has consistently maintained that his actions related to his disciplinary case were "proper and ethical."
In the meantime, Judge Grendell is involved in another legal battle.
He filed a lawsuit in the Eleventh District Court of Appeals against the Geauga County Commissioners in July after they refused to cover the legal bills for his disciplinary case.
Grendell said the county should cover over $300,000 in legal fees related to his disciplinary case.
On Oct. 7, the commissioners filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
Grendell's current term expires Feb. 9, 2027.
At 72, he cannot run for reelection due to age restrictions.
'This family was harmed'
Hartman has said her sons were never the same after Grendell put them behind bars.
Sadly, Carson died in a motorcycle crash two years ago.
Conner, now 18, just left for military boot camp.
Walder said Hartman and her family deserve closure.
"This family was harmed and we need to remedy that," he said.
The Ohio Supreme Court declined to comment on Grendell's case.
In an email, a spokesperson wrote, "The Supreme Court of Ohio does not comment on pending cases."
