Michigan lawyer running for judge caught on camera allegedly belt-whipping girlfriend

MUSKEGON, Mich. – Two weeks after winning the August primary, judicial candidate Jason Kolkema appeared to viciously whip his girlfriend with a belt during an argument in his western Michigan apartment, presumably unaware that nearby witnesses were recording the scene.

When he noticed the onlookers from his window, the 51-year-old lawyer flashed them the peace sign, and has since claimed the video isn't what it seems: He was striking a chair with his belt, not his girlfriend, the woman and his lawyer have maintained.

But the video triggered criminal charges – and a tsunami of public outrage in the city of Muskegon, which borders Lake Michigan and is about 40 miles northwest of Grand Rapids.

In a scandalous judicial election that has stirred much debate in western Michigan, the topic of domestic violence has taken center stage as women's rights activists fight to keep Kolkema off the bench, arguing he isn't fit to be judge, especially in cases involving battered women and vulnerable children.

'We saw what we saw'

Kolkema, arraigned Sept. 19 on domestic violence charges, has a history of losing his temper, behaving violently around women and children – including spitting on a 12-year-old girl – and has violated court orders, lied about his relationship with his client-girlfriend, battled an Adderall addiction and failed to pay child support, according to a decade's worth of court and police records reviewed by the Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, and interviews with multiple people tied to him and his girlfriend.

"I cannot imagine a victim sitting in front of a 'Jason Kolkema' and asking him to protect her from an assailant," said Heather Fry, a Muskegon mother, domestic abuse survivor and longtime victim's advocate who has sat with scores of victims in court seeking personal protection orders.

"I'm sorry. We saw what we saw. The video is very damning," Fry said. "It was a violent act meant to instill fear."

Kolkema has declined numerous requests for comment, though has addressed the video briefly on his Facebook page, stating:

"I understand that the optics are bad. I understand the anger and disappointment, especially from the people who voted for me and supported me ... All of the facts will be revealed in due time," Kolkema wrote. He was responding to a Facebook commenter who wrote: "We don't support abusers in my community."

Video: Johnny Depp says ex-wife threw vodka bottle at him, severing his finger

Spitting. Shoving. Slapping.

On his campaign website, Kolkema portrays himself as a proud Muskegon native and accomplished lawyer who learned "compassion, empathy and the importance of service to the community" from his homemaker mother.

Court and police records tell a different story.

Two days before the belt incident, Kolkema allegedly spit on his girlfriend's 12-year-old daughter as she slept in his apartment with her mom, despite a court order that prohibited him from being around the girl. He allegedly spewed toothpaste on the girl and her mother, and then threw water on them because he was angry about a previous fight, according to Ottawa County court records. The next day, he allegedly threw a Gatorade bottle at his girlfriend and her daughter but missed and hit a lamp.

Three months earlier, Fruitport police got a call from Kolkema's girlfriend saying, "my boyfriend just slapped me." When police arrived, Kolkema told an officer his girlfriend "gets like this when she is drunk ... and makes things up." The girlfriend then recanted and refused to cooperate. No charges were filed.

In 2013, Kolkema's ex-wife filed a domestic assault complaint with the Fruitport police, alleging that Kolkema shoved her in the back and knocked her to the ground during an argument that occurred while she was picking up her children from his parents' house. "(She) advised that her daughter was visibly upset and crying, because she had seen Jason act like this in the past," the police report states. Kolkema was uncooperative, became "defensive" and refused to answer questions without an attorney. No charges were filed due to a lack of witnesses who could "substantiate the alleged assault."

The world’s 50 best bars just announced: US leads with 8; New York has 6 of them

A year earlier in Ingham County, Kolkema admitted to pulling his ex-wife's hair during an argument that got out of hand, but left after she called police. "(He) stated that he left the marital home before police arrived because he represents a lot of agencies which have pro-arrest policy in relation to domestic violence and was not interested in going to jail," a court filing states. No charges were filed.

That same year, Kolkema triggered a Child Protective Services investigation after he left his ill 6-year-old daughter home alone to drive his older son to a location 20 minutes away. He was "counting on the child being ill and remaining asleep in bed. ... However, (the child) was found by a neighbor wandering outside, upset and looking for father." Kolkema was not charged, though a family court referee said he used "extremely poor" and "highly questionable judgment."

Girlfriend takes blame

Contacted numerous times for comment, Kolkema's attorney Terry Nolan threatened to report the Free Press to police for harassment.

Kolkema deferred comment to his girlfriend when asked whether he could explain to voters his actions in the video, stating: "I'd refer you to what the alleged victim had to say."

The victim says that she's standing by Kolkema and that she's partly to blame for what happened in the apartment that day while cellphone cameras were rolling.

Porn in the air: Southwest pilot sues after coworker exposed himself, watched pornography during flight

"Jason is a good person (and) has made a positive impact on my life in many regards," the 33-year-old girlfriend wrote the Free Press. "He's done a lot for my children and I don't think this portrayal of him is even remotely fair." The Free Press does not name domestic violence victims or alleged victims without their consent.

According to the girlfriend, on the day in question, Kolkema was trying to get her attention to finish a conversation they had previously started, but she was on a headset and distracted. So to get her attention, she said, he struck a chair's armrest with his belt.

"It was rude of me to ignore him so I do take responsibility for that part," she wrote the Free Press, adding the campaign has "taken on a toll" on their relationship.

The woman also said that Kolkema has never hurt her or her daughter, as alleged in a court filing.

"He's not dangerous. He's never beat me. He's not scary or threatening as a person ... Just boisterous, animated – almost bouncy at times," the woman wrote, adding the video is not what it seems. "It's just not fair to him. … It looks so much worse and different than what it was."

She also added that she and Kolkema did not start dating until February, though police and court records show the two have been romantically involved for three years. Family members have said their relationship started while Kolkema represented her in a civil, parenting-time case involving her three children from prior relationships – all of which involved domestic violence.

Under the American Bar Association's Model Rules of Professional Responsibility, a lawyer "shall not have sexual relations with a client" unless a consensual relationship already existed when the legal representation started.

'Papa, I'm hurted'

On New Year's Day, Kolkema's girlfriend's son got a black eye after getting struck by a door handle at his mom's Grand Haven home, according to an Ottawa County sheriff's report. That night, the 5-year-old boy called his grandfather.

"He said, 'Papa, I'm hurted. I got hit in the eye with a doorknob by mommy's boyfriend,' " the grandfather told the Free Press.