Parrott’s domestic violence charge pretrial adjourned until May 1

As one of the corona virus adjournments at 35th District Court in Plymouth, the pretrial for a domestic violence charge against David Mark Parrott, 59, of Van Buren Township that was scheduled for March 20 has been adjourned until 8:30 a.m., May 1.
Parrott, who is a sitting judge at 34th District Court in Romulus, had been before Judge James A. Plakas in Plymouth on Feb. 28 for his pre-trial, but that was adjourned until March 20 for a substitution of attorney.
Attorney Robert Coutts of Van Buren Township represented Parrott on Feb. 28 on the 93-day misdemeanor charge.
On March 17, Heather KS Nalley of the Howell law firm of Gentry Nalley, filed as Parrott’s new attorney and on March 18, the court removed from the calendar the March 20 appearance and rescheduled it for May 1.
Parrott has been charged with assaulting his live-in girlfriend on Feb. 8 at his Van Buren Township condo.
Parrott also had a misdemeanor drunk driving charge in Manistee County on Christmas Day 2018 and that conviction has been appealed to the Michigan Court of Appeals, with a decision pending. His attorney on that case is Mike Nichols of Lansing.
As part of the bond for both the Manistee and the Van Buren Township charges, Parrott has been ordered to wear Soberlink, a tether that reports any alcohol consumption four times a day to probation officers in both the Manistee and Wayne county courts.
In a Feb. 12 letter to 34th District Court Chief Judge Brian A. Oakley, Judge Parrott submitted his plans to step back from the bench temporarily.
“Regardless of the merits of both of these matters, the mere fact that the allegations were made, warrants a searching evaluation of my relations, as well as my physical, emotional and mental state,” he wrote.
Parrott said he was “deeply disappointed” in himself “for being in the position of even responding to these embarrassing situations.”
He said while his time away from the court “may be indeterminate at this time,” he hoped to be able to return to the bench in 45-60 days.
In the meantime, retired Monroe County District Judge Terrance Bronson is filling in for Parrott at the court.
Parrott, who is completing his 12th year on the bench, has filed for reelection as district court judge. Those who announced they also are running for that six-year position are Romulus attorney Alexandria Taylor, VBT attorney Robert Coutts, and former 34th District Court Magistrate Lisa Martin, also of VBT.
Candidates seeking a district court judgeship have until 4 p.m., April 21, to file.