Editorial Asks, "Is This Judge a 'Criminal Justice Professonal'?"

Our view: Judge's decisions should cost him his post
The Traverse City Record Eagle  -  EDITORIAL  -  March 4, 2012
— The verdict is in: David Stowe needs to go — quickly and quietly into retirement.

Stowe, since 2000 a Grand Traverse County Probate Court judge, recently found himself in local headlines, thanks to an unflattering personal situation that directly reflects — and reflects badly — upon his role and behavior as a public official.  Evidence strongly indicates Stowe's wife, Cynthia, assaulted him the evening of Jan. 30 at their Long Lake Township home, an incident that left David Stowe bloodied and prompted his wife's arrest on suspicion of domestic violence. Charges later were dropped in a deal that boosted her penalties from a previous drunken driving conviction, but those who investigated the case left little doubt Cynthia Stowe attacked her husband.  In many ways it's a tragic story that suggests Cynthia Stowe's alcohol-inspired descent. But make no mistake, battered husband or not, David Stowe largely is responsible for his own physical and professional wounds. Ultimately, it's his deeply flawed decision-making that destroyed his legitimacy on the local court bench.  His behavior on Jan. 30, an apparent effort to conceal his wife's actions, was unacceptable on many levels, particularly because his taxpayer-funded job demands he make rational decisions and abide by the law. The Record-Eagle obtained a copy of a 911 call Stowe's 16-year-old stepson made that night, and the recording is at once heart-breaking as the boy pleads with Stowe not to leave him alone with the boy's enraged, alcohol-soaked mother, and appalling, as Stowe appears to desperately seeks ways to subvert an impending investigation by an on-the-way sheriff's deputy.  Stowe repeatedly told the boy he was leaving the house and suggested the boy leave, too. Their departures would have ensured that authorities didn't have immediate access to the potential victim and witness. It's despicable that a judge would entertain such a notion.  Stowe told the 911 dispatcher he didn't know if his wife had been drinking. The boy was adamant she'd been drinking heavily. Stowe later refused to allow the by-the-book deputy to photograph his wounds.  This is a criminal justice professional?

Some history: Not long after he became a judge, Stowe met his future wife, then named Cynthia Curry. At the time, Curry was divorcing her third husband and Stowe headed up child custody matters in their divorce. His penchant for bad decisions can be traced to 2002, when he hired Curry to work for him in the family court.  Astonishingly, he maintained oversight of her custody case, and continued to do so after they began a physical relationship. And yes, she remained on the court's payroll.  Stowe blithely, arrogantly ignored all those obvious ethical failings.  In 2005, Cynthia Curry left the court for a job with a local social services agency that contracted with the court and Grand Traverse County. How coincidental was it that the county more than doubled its dole to that agency — from about $112,000 to $251,000 — shortly after Curry migrated to that new job?  Then, a lawyer who worked for the court tried to report Stowe's shenanigans, including the improper relationship with Curry, to appropriate authorities. Word filtered back to Stowe and he fired the lawyer, Michael Stein.  Stein threatened a whistleblower lawsuit and the county paid him about $70,000 and health insurance to stem that embarrassment.  But the Stein settlement prompted a Record-Eagle investigation that exposed Stowe's behavior. The Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission finally gave Stowe a little wrist slap, after state court "investigators" did their very best to look the other way. Curry and Stowe married in 2009.  There's nothing wrong with showing empathy for David Stowe, the person. He made terrible personal and professional decisions that continue to haunt him. He's human.  But his reckless behavior that continues today should cost him his black robe. Stowe's term expires this year and he immediately should announce his retirement at term's end, if not sooner.  The public should expect — and demand — much more from their leaders.

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Warrant out for arrest of judge's wife
The Record Eagle by Art Bukowski - April 11, 20122

TRAVERSE CITY, MI — A judge’s wife has a warrant out for her arrest after authorities said she violated probation. Cynthia Stowe failed an alcohol screening, and a judge issued a warrant for her arrest Monday. She hadn’t been arrested as of this morning. Stowe is the wife of Grand Traverse County Probate Judge David Stowe. Stowe in August was arrested for drunken driving, and in January was arrested after she assaulted David Stowe at their home. A year of probation was added to her drunken driving conviction after the assault.  abukowski@record-eagle.com