The Ohio Board of Professional Conduct issued a recommendation on Friday that Geauga County Juvenile and Probate Court Judge Timothy J. Grendell be immediately suspended from the practice of law, without pay, for 18 months, with six months stayed.
The board found Grendell "engaged in professional misconduct" in a case involving two teenage brothers in June 2020.
Grendell locked up Carson and Conner Glasier, then 15 and 13, for three nights at the Portage-Geauga County Juvenile Detention Center in June 2020 after they refused parental visitation with their estranged father.
The board found Grendell's claim that detaining the boys was "in their best interest" was "patently facetious" and "contrary to law."
News 5 Investigators first shared the brothers' story and concerns about the judge's conduct in October 2020.
READ MORE: Two teenage brothers refused to see their dad. An Ohio judge locked them up.
The board also found Grendell engaged in misconduct during an ongoing dispute with Geauga County Auditor Chuck Walder and other county officials about his court's bills and expenses.
Additionally, the board determined Grendell violated Ohio's code of judicial conduct when he testified in support of legislation that was introduced by his wife, former Ohio Rep. Diane Grendell, in 2020, about Covid statistics.
The board's disciplinary recommendations will now go to the Ohio Supreme Court, which will decide what action to take against Grendell, who will be given an opportunity to file an objection to the findings.
