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Knox Co. State’s Attorney asks for another prosecutor

A discussion was held Wednesday night regarding the addition of another prosecutor for the Knox County State’s Attorney office.

State’s Attorney John Pepmeyer along with Assistant State’s Attorney Sabrina Stroops went before the Knox County Finance Committee with a plan to reorganize finances that would allow the county to hire an additional prosecutor.

Pepmeyer said that with Compliance Officer Tyson Parks leaving for another job and a long-time secretary retiring, the office of the state’s attorney could take on another attorney to help handle the higher workload that the county has seen this year.

“I just think that it could be a win-win situation for both the county, you guys and us, to utilize the retirement of this [older secretary] and the replacement of the compliance officer as a means to fund the new attorney.”

Pepmeyer also informed the board that because of a sizeable increase in felony cases this year, his office was in need of another attorney to help prosecute.

Stroops told the committee that the office would be responsible for the compliance officer’s work on top of the work they’re already buried under.

“Which is what it’s going to fall back to. We’re going to be — until we get a replacement — we’re going to be picking up that extra work on top of our work already to cover his compliance; if he’s sick, he’s not there, he’s running late for some reason, it’s one of the attorneys or one of our other secretaries that goes down and covers his work as it is.”

Pepmeyer and Stroops indicated that the new attorney would be responsible for the work of the compliance officer and aid with the office’s increased workload.

Last year, Knox County prosecutors filed charges in 650 felony cases. Stroops indicated that this year they may break 800, an increase of 23 percent.

Stroops also indicated that the workload this year far exceeds the workload recommended by the American Bar Association.

No item was only on the agenda as a discussion so no action was taken.

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