Judge Travis Reeds of the 52-1 District Court in Novi conducts a Zoom hearing July 12 for Jordan Worrall’s alleged bond violation. Worrall can be seen on the right side of the TV monitor alongside his attorney, Jalal Jamil Dallo.
By: Charity Meier | Novi Note | Published July 12, 2023
NOVI — A district court judge recused himself from a case July 12 as a result of the defendant allegedly making threats against him and his family.
During a scheduled bond violation hearing, Judge Travis Reeds, of Oakland County’s 52-1 District Court in Novi, recused himself from continuing to oversee defendant Jordan Worrall’s case for fleeing and eluding in the third degree. Reeds had been overseeing the case since Worrall acquired the charge April 22. However, after Worrall allegedly threatened to kill Reeds and his family via social media July 5, Reeds said he ethically did not have any choice but to step down from the case.
“I feel that it is incumbent at this point upon me to recuse myself from this case and take no further action on it,” Reeds told the court. “Given the serious circumstances and the threats that were made allegedly by Mr. Worrall against myself and my family and the potential that I could be a witness in this case, it’s not even a close call that I need to recuse myself, from an ethical standpoint.”
Worrall allegedly threatened on social media to kill Reeds, as well as his court-appointed attorney with Gracey Law Firm in Keego Harbor, after Worrall skipped his July 5 review hearing. He then allegedly led police on a two-day, multistate manhunt, which resulted in several police chases in Oakland, Lenawee and Monroe counties, as well as over the Ohio border. Ultimately, he was arrested in Brighton by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Apprehension Team following a “short struggle” in which the Sheriff’s Office said he punched a deputy in the face multiple times, breaking facial bones.
As a result of the events July 5-7, Worrall now faces two additional felony charges in 48th District Court in Bloomfield Hills of making a false report or threat of terrorism and using a computer to commit a crime. His preliminary examination on the charges is scheduled for Aug. 3.
On July 24, charges were filed in 52-1 District Court against Worrall for assaulting, resisting or obstructing a police officer and fourth-degree fleeing from a police officer. No hearing on the charges had been held as of press time.
According to 52-1 District Court Administrator Alexandra Black, normally, after a judge’s recusal from a case, she would do a blind draw between one of the remaining two judges at the 52-1 District Court. However, she said that in this case, as Reeds is a close colleague of both judges, Judge Robert Bondy and Judge David Law also declined to take the case.
Following the recusal of Bondy and Law, the case was then sent to Judge Joseph Fabrizio, who is the chief justice of the 52nd District Court and who works at the 52-2 District Court in Clarkston, to do a blind draw to reassign the case to one of the remaining seven judges in the district.
The 52nd District comprises 10 judges — three are seated at the 52-1 District Court, two are seated at the 52-2 District Court in Clarkston, three are seated at the 52-3 District Court in Rochester Hills, and two are seated at the 52-4 District Court in Troy.
“It’s really just up to the judge (to take or refuse a case). If there’s an appearance of impropriety or the person can say that they don’t feel like they are being treated fairly or whatever, then it is better to just not have (the case),” Black said. “You know, nobody is saying they can’t handle them fairly; they’re just saying, for the appearance, it probably is not a good idea.”
Black said they try to move the case along as fast as possible. Black said that all 10 judges in the district recused themselves from the case and it had been removed from the 52nd District Court.
“The disqualification order has gone to the State Court Administrative Office for them to find another court outside the 52nd to take it,” Black told C & G Newspapers.
The State Court Administrative Office reassigned the case to Judge James B. Brady, of the 47th District Court in Farmington Hills, July 13. Brady is now assigned to “serve as a judge of the 52nd District” for the Worrall case, according to the SCAO assignment. This means that the case could still be heard by Brady at the 52nd District Court. However, according to Black, almost always the district court will have the judge handling the case do so in the judge’s own courtroom. So, the case most likely will be heard at the 47th District Court.
During the hearing July 12, Worrall acknowledged that he had waived his right to an in-person hearing in favor of a Zoom hearing. Worrall’s new attorney, Jalal Jamil Dallo, of Dallo Law in Bloomfield Hills, appearing via Zoom, inquired about his client’s competency and asked if he had an exam ordered. Reeds said one was ordered on May 3, which is pending.
“I will ask the clerk to set some sort of a review with regard to the competency proceeding, so that the case is still on track with some sort of review date,” Reeds said.
“We would be grateful,” Dallo said.
Because of the judge’s recusal, no action was taken on the issue of a bond violation. Worrall remains in custody at the Oakland County Jail with a $1 million cash or surety bond.