The defense attorney for a Muskegon County, Michigan, judge candidate says a video does not show his client, Jason Kolkema, 51, beating his girlfriend.
Kolkema is scheduled to be arraigned on a domestic violence charge on September 19 after being charged with assault and battery, domestic violence by the 60th District Court in Muskegon after a video circulated online.
Kolkema was arrested last month after witnesses recorded video showing Kolkema striking his girlfriend with a belt multiple times inside his apartment. When police arrived at the apartment to investigate, the woman was visibly upset and had a blank stare, according to police documents. The girlfriend refused to comment on the altercation or what occurred between them.
Terry Nolan, Kolkema’s attorney, told reporters that the video is not what it appears to be, that Kolkema struck a chair next to the woman.
Kolkema is running to be a judge in Muskegon County’s 14th Circuit Court. He was the top vote-getter in the August 2 primary and will face one opponent in the Nov. 8 election.