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April 8, 2005Judge Haley calls deputy 'sociopath'He says Benedict did 'dumbhead' thingByRecord-Eagle staff writer
"I never thought of it as what I was getting was a gift. I got rid of those stupid tickets that I had no use for."
BELLAIRE - A local judge labeled an Antrim County sheriff's deputy a "sociopath" during a hearing over whether the judge improperly accepted football tickets from a lawyer while on the bench.- Judge Michael Haley Michael Haley, an 86th District Court judge, testified in his own defense Thursday against an impropriety charge regarding University of Michigan football tickets given to him in October 2003 by lawyer and former judge Richard Benedict during a court session in Antrim County. The ticket exchange was reported to the state Judicial Tenure Commission by deputy Terry Skurnit, a court officer in Antrim. Haley - also accused of lack of candor during the investigation over a letter he sent to Sheriff Terry Johnson that banned Skurnit from court - described to attorney Brian Einhorn what happened after Benedict approached the bench and handed him the tickets. "It was just a dumbhead thing to do (by Benedict)," he said. "You would never expect that from an experienced attorney, especially someone who was on the bench for 24 years. "I never thought of it as what I was getting was a gift. I got rid of those stupid tickets that I had no use for," he said. Haley said he wasn't concerned about the issue until weeks later when Antrim Prosecutor Charles Koop approached him. After Koop informed Haley that Skurnit allegedly told others Haley was "on the take," Haley said he became furious and considered suing Skurnit for slander. "That was the most inane, stupid, asinine and malicious thing (by Skurnit)," Haley testified. "He had accused me of taking a bribe in a department I had respect in." Haley said he believed the tenure commission and executive director Paul Fischer treated him unfairly with the lack of candor charge. Haley initially told commission investigators he had not sent a letter to Johnson that barred Skurnit. "The general reaction I get from people on the street is that this is just a non-issue, that there is nothing to it," he said. Haley testified he forgot about the letter until the charge of lack of candor was levied against him last May. He said he'd previously disclosed Skurnit's ban to the commission. "You have some distinct hostility toward me specifically, don't you?" Fischer first asked Haley in cross-examination. "That's a yes," Haley said loudly after being instructed by Judge Casper Grathwohl to answer only yes or no to the question.
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