Geauga County Juvenile Court Constable John Ralph took the stand during his boss's Ohio Board of Professional Conduct hearing Tuesday.
Geauga County Probate and Juvenile Judge Timothy Grendell sent two teenage brothers to juvenile detention during the pandemic for refusing parenting time with their estranged father.
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Geauga County sheriff's deputies involved in the incident also testified Tuesday, according to Ohio Board of Professional Conduct Director Rick Dove.
The boys' mother, Stacy Hartman, testified Monday. She described how Grendell converted their father's motion to dismiss into an order for visitation without first notifying her or her ex-husband, Grant Glasier.
When her sons, who had alleged Glasier physically and verbally abused them, refused to go with Glasier in May 2020, Ralph took them into custody. The brothers, then 13 and 15, spent three nights in the Portage-Geauga Juvenile Detention Center and were not allowed to see each other or call their mother.
During an interview with News 5, Hartman said her eldest son, Carson, was never the same after being incarcerated.
Carson died in a motorcycle accident last year, just weeks before Grendell's hearing was initially scheduled to begin.
Hartman said her youngest son, Conner, now 17, became withdrawn after the incident.
Conner and Hartman's daughter, Cassidy, also testified Monday.
Grendell faces one charge related to sending the boys to detention. He also faces a charge related to an ongoing dispute with the Geauga County auditor over how his court's bills were paid and a third related to his testimony in favor of his wife's "Truth in COVID in Statistics" legislation. Diane Grendell retired as a member of Ohio's House of Representatives in 2022.
Grendell's hearing is scheduled to continue through March 7. The three-member panel of the Ohio Board of Professional Conduct hearing his case will determine if Grendell should face any sanctions related to his conduct.
Watch our initial follow-through report from last week on the charges against Grendell:
READ MORE: Geauga Co. probate and juvenile judge faces disciplinary charges after News 5 Investigation
