Judges and Court Staff

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    Richard D. Kuhn, Jr.

    Chief Judge Pro Tempore

    Judge Kuhn is a lifelong resident of the Waterford area. He is a graduate of Waterford Kettering High School, Oakland University and the Detroit College of Law - Michigan State University. Prior to being elected to the Waterford bench in 2002, Judge Kuhn was a practicing attorney for 13 years. Additionally, he represented Waterford Township on the Oakland County Board of Commissioners from 1983-1990. Judge Kuhn is a former Chairperson of the Waterford Coalition for Youth, a member of the Waterford Area Chamber of Commerce, and an Annual Sponsor of the Waterford Foundation for Public Education. He is also a member of the Michigan District Judges Association and the State Bar of Michigan. In 2004, Judge Kuhn implemented a Teen Court program at the 51st District Court, a juvenile diversion program which allows high school students to participate as jury members and lawyers, giving them a taste of how the legal system works. Judge Kuhn and his wife have four children, all graduates of Waterford Kettering High School. He and his family are members of Central United Methodist Church in Waterford.
     
     


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    Todd A. Fox

    Chief Judge

    Judge Todd A. Fox grew up in Waterford Township and graduated from Waterford Kettering High School.  Judge Fox obtained his Bachelor of Business Administration from Grand Valley State University and then attended Detroit College of Law where he obtained a Juris Doctor.  Before being elected to serve the 51st District Court, Judge Fox was in private practice as a Trial Attorney(Licensed in Michigan and Colorado), a Real Estate Broker, (Licensed in Michigan and North Carolina), a Michigan District Court Officer, an Oakland County Circuit Court Judicial Clerk and a private firm Law Clerk.  Judge Fox served Waterford Township as a member of the Waterford Township Board of Trustees  and served on numerous local boards during his tenure. Judge Fox is a member of the Waterford Lions Club, Waterford Elks and the Waterford Area Chamber of Commerce. Judge Fox is also a member of the State Bar of Michigan, Oakland County Bar Association, Michigan District Judges Association and Oakland County District Judges Association.  


Magistrates

Magistrates of the 51st District Court serve in a back-up capacity as the docket necessitates and provide assistance with after-hours search warrants.

  1. Sandra Aspinall

    Sandra Aspinall was appointed as Magistrate at the 51st District Court in 2007. She is a 1993 graduate of the University of Michigan and obtained her Juris Doctorate in 2001 from Wayne State University, graduating cum laude. She was inducted into the Order of the Coif in 2002. Ms. Aspinall served as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney with the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office for five years. Ms. Aspinall has a solo practice specializing in adult and juvenile criminal defense, as well as child abuse and neglect matters. She is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, the Oakland County Bar Association, the Michigan Center for Civic Education, and the Incorporated Society of Irish-American Lawyers.

Supervisors

Administration

  1. Jen Thom

    Jen Thom is the Court Administrator of the 51st District Court. She joined the 51st District Court’s probation department in August 2004 after working as a criminal clerk at the 52-3 District Court for 3 years. In 2005, after earning accreditation through the Michigan Board of Addiction Professionals as a Certified Criminal Justice Professional, Jen was responsible for supervising a Sobriety and Domestic Violence Court caseload. In 2010, Jen was promoted to serve as the Court’s Deputy Court Administrator before being promoted to Court Administrator in 2013.

    Jen is a graduate of Central Michigan University where she earned her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Administration. As an undergraduate her studies focused on psychology and sociology with a concentration on social and criminal justice. Her postgraduate work targeted business administration.

Probation Department

  1. Angie Reid

    Angie Reid is the supervisor of the Probation Department. She has been a full-time Probation Officer at the 51st District Court since 2004.

    She graduated from Western Michigan University in 2003 with her Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice and Sociology. She interned at the Juvenile Court in Kalamazoo for 8 months in 2003. She earned CCJP certification in 2005. In 2010, she earned her Master's Degree in Counseling from Oakland University.

  2. Shelly Booth

    Shelly Booth has been employed as a Probation Officer at the 51st District Court since 1995. She is a graduate of Michigan State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice. She is certified by the Michigan Certification Board for Addiction Professionals - ARMS I and CCJP.

  3. Denise Larkin

    Denise Larkin has served as a Probation Officer at the 51st District Court since 1991 and has worked in the probation field since 1987. From 1987 to 1989, Denise worked as a Pre-Sentence Investigator for the Vanderburgh County Circuit Court. From 1989 to 1991 she was the Chief Probation Officer in Gibson County Superior Court in Southwestern Indiana.

    Denise has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and Sociology from the University of Southern Indiana. She is CCJP certified in the State of Michigan.

  4. Alise Shermetaro

    Alise Manatine began working at the 51st District Court in August 2017. She worked as a Deputy Clerk in the Probation Department for two years before she was promoted to Specialty Programs Coordinator. She worked as the Program Coordinator for four years and is now currently working as a part-time Probation Officer. 

    Alise earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Sociology in 2017 from Oakland University. She then went on to earn her Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in 2022 from Oakland University and is currently a Limited Licensed Professional Counselor.