All Rights Reserved. Also on Tuesday, two new part-time assistant district attorneys were hired to be part of the county's prosecutorialteam. And it could immediately affect the pay of Somerset District Attorney Jeffrey Thomas. Police: Somerset County District Attorney Jeffrey Thomas showed up uninvited, raped Windber woman, Hearing rescheduled against Somerset County DA Jeffrey Thomas. "I think it certainly raises the issue of whether or not that action constitutes a conflict of interest under the Rules of Professional Conduct," said Melissa Melewsky, media law counsel for the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association. Using the official letterhead of his . Thomas was on house arrest for part of the year and told court officials in Somerset County that he couldn't "fend for himself" or his family in May. Terms and Conditions. Chance of rain 70%. Business Directory; Dispatch Log & Jail Bookings; Somerset County Bicentennial; Activities; Follow Judy D.J. Court-appointed Senior Judge Timothy Creany granted Thomas attorneys motion to delay the case until Jan. 9, granting them time to obtain an expert medical report they said will be essential to defending him in court. get driving directions from your location, US Department of Justice - US Attorneys Website. District Attorney's Office; Register of Probate; Agendas; Minutes; Notify Me; Submit A Request; Employment; State rules on criminal procedure dictate that a case against a defendant must go to trial within a year of the date charges were filed in this case, by September. Somerset County's salary board Commissioners Gerald Walker, Colleen Dawson and Pamela Tokar-Ickes, as well as then-Treasurer Donna Matsko-Schmitt halted his paychecks after the law was signed. Wolf has the option of signing the bill into law, vetoing the bill or letting it ride for 10 days at which point it will automatically become Pennsylvania law. The Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association stated in a letter to Barbera, who received it Monday evening, that Metzgar "is entitled as a matter of law to receive the same compensation (as Thomas received).". Johnstown Magazine is a positive and forward-thinking monthly publication for the people of our region. Follow him on Twitter@TDDavidHurstand Instagram@TDDavidHurst. "This (lawsuit) is brand-new right now. (814) 443-2894. The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General is taking up a case against the wife of Somerset County District Attorney Jeffrey Thomas stemming from a domestic incident last month.. Senior Judge . That step will now have to be conducted again in early November as a preliminary step toward seating a panel of 12 jurors in January, he said. An employee of Seger's office told the Daily American that the magistrate could not comment on the letter. Bristol County District Attorney's Office Address Main Office 218 South Main Street, Suite 101, Fall River, MA 02721 Directions Phone (508) 997-0711 Online Bristol DA's Office Website Learn more about this organization Bristol County District Attorney's Office Get Directions Details Overview Hours Parking Overview Somerset County D.A. Elk, Fayette, Mifflin, Montgomery, Northumberland, Schuylkill, Snyder, Somerset, and Wyoming counties. Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox. District Attorney District Attorney's Office 41 Court St. Skowhegan, ME 04976 Ph: 207-474-2423 Fx: 207-474-7407 Staff Directory. William Clineof Somerset, a former county assistant district attorney in the early 2000s, and Sydney Benderof Patton, who is an associate attorney at the Law Office of Michael A. Sossong in Ebensburg, and has been a licensed attorney since 2015, are tobe paid $32,000 annually. Somerset County DA tried to have charges against wife dropped, letter indicates. Assistant Public Defender, District 2 (Dorchester . The bill specifically pinpoints district attorneys, Osenbach said, partly because a "district attorney is held to a higher standard.". Nov. 17, 2021, Gov. Currently, there is no requirement that a person elected to the office of district attorney possess an active license to practice law at the time of entering office, which SB 420 will require, Sen. Yaw said in a statement on his website. Rain likely. Low 48F. About Us Contact Us First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Creany also set a conference in September to review excerpts from 800 pages of text messages that the attorney generals office looked through during its investigation. In a Nov. 29 letter to Somerset County solicitor Michael Barbera,the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association noted that there is no state law makinga "distinction regarding salary or anything else for that matter between an 'acting' district attorney who serves pursuant to Act 88, and a district attorney who serves pursuant to an election other type of appointment.". 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The DA's Office also maintains court records that are open to the public. The DA's Office also maintains court records that are open to the public. Member, Drug and Alcohol Abuse Council, Somerset County, 2017-. Charged: Police: Somerset County District Attorney Jeffrey Thomas showed up uninvited, raped Windber woman, Protection order: Hearing rescheduled against Somerset County DA Jeffrey Thomas. Prosecutors have already turned over that information to defense attorneys including all messages between the woman and Thomas and any messages referencing him to other people, as well as other messages, Senior Deputy Attorney General Patrick Schulte said. 21853Phone:410.651.3333Fax:410.651.3453Attorneys, Wess Garner - State's AttorneyKendra Hayward -Deputy State's AttorneyKristen Boston - Assistant State's AttorneyBrittany Collins- Assistant State's Attorney, Support StaffChild Support Unit:Alice BromleyBrittney Bozman, Circuit Court:Jacki Bowen-Hill - Secretary, District Court:April Howard- Victim Witness Advocate/ParalegalJuvenile Court:Sandy Atkins - Legal Secretary Supervisor, Somerset County Narcotics Task Force:Patti S. Renshaw - Secretary. Suggest Listing But certain redacted messages were questioned Friday, with Lurie asking to review them based on the belief the woman could be talking in code about details related to the case. There are two procedures the bill explores. Mostly crickets in Somerset County. Thomas' suit is seeking for his regular pay and benefits to be restored as well as all back pay he has lost since last fall to be awarded to him. CountyOffice.org does not provide consumer reports and is not a consumer reporting agency as defined by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). "We are here today to announce one of the largest drug busts in the history of Somerset County," Acting Somerset County District Attorney Molly Metzgar said during a . You have permission to edit this article. The Pennsylvania State Police said the Somerset County district attorney, Jeffrey L. Thomas, was charged with rape, indecent and simple assault, strangulation and criminal trespass in. Third party advertisements support hosting, listing verification, updates, and site maintenance. The Somerset County Prosecuting Attorney, located in Somerville, NJ, is an agency that prosecutes criminal cases on behalf of the Somerville government. Home | Staff Directory | District Attorney's Office District Attorney's Office Physical Address: 41 Court St. Skowhegan, ME 04976 Phone: 207-474-2423 Fax: 207-474-7407 Display # According to Pennsylvania House Republican Caucus spokesperson JasonGottesman, "the district attorney (without an active law license) will be suspended from his office, which means he can no longer be paid as district attorney.". Find Court Records related to Somerset County Prosecuting Attorney. Using the officialletterhead of his office, Jeff Thomaswrote a memo to Segerdated Sept. 13 informing him that the district attorney'soffice was dropping the charges against AmyThomas. Amy Thomas faces charges of simple assault and harassment. 2023 County Office. The bill clarifies what happens in a case of suspension. But the Somerset County Courthouse is a county building. The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General received jurisdiction this week to prosecute the domestic assault case, as well as the separate rape case filed a week later against Jeffrey Thomas. Act 88 of 2021, signed into law by Pennsylvania Gov. Somerset County President Judge D. Gregory Geary said he anticipates reaching out to the Administrative Office of the Pennsylvania Courts to assign an out-of-county-judge to oversee this matter, too once the case reaches the point that it is necessary for a judge to become involved. get driving directions from your location, US Department of Justice - US Attorneys Website. October 19, 2021 / 5:10 PM / CBS Pittsburgh. Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles. SOMERSET, Pa. Somerset County District Attorney Jeffrey L. Thomas sought to have charges against his wife dropped last month, soon after she was accused by Windber police of assaulting him during a domestic dispute, a letter obtained by The Tribune-Democrat indicates. The otheris if the district attorney's law license is disbarred. David Hurst is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. The letter bears Thomas' signature under his office's letterhead and is dated Sept. 13 before the state Office of . His attorney, Ryan Tutera of Pittsburgh, returned a phone call requesting comment on the letter, but had no comment on the matter. The delay also means that, barring a resolution to the case prior to trial, the Thomas case would linger into the election year for his county district attorneys office seat. Maloney, Maeghan District Attorney 207-474-2423 Maeghan is a graduate of Swarthmore and Harvard Law School. 21853 Phone: 410.651.3333 Fax: 410.651.3453 Attorneys. Suggest Listing The attorney called the county's move illegal. And even though a state law approved in 2021 after Thomas' law license was suspended prohibits elected prosecutors from serving while their licenses are suspended, that change was not retroactive, Pittsburgh attorney Richard Haft wrote. The county code expressly provides that all district attorneys receive the same compensation, which is $1,000 lower than that paid court of common pleas judges in their judicial district. "Because of this, the Speaker of the (House) and I agreed that I was unable to vote on the matter pursuant to our House rules. Conflicts of interestwith the ethics law, he added,area little different from what the standard conflict of interest might be. William Cline of Somerset, a former county assistant district attorney in the early 2000s, and Sydney Bender of Patton, who is an associate attorney at the Law Office of Michael A. Sossong in Ebensburg, and has been a licensed attorney since 2015, are to be paid $32,000 annually. 2023 County Office. Somerset County District Attorney Jeffrey Thomas stands outside the Somerset County Courthouse on Oct. 1, 2021. The act requires district attorneys to hold an active law license while in office. A "rule to show cause" has been in place for Thomas since Sept. 30. Thomas has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges and has said he plans to defend himself at trial. Sep. 8SOMERSET, Pa. Suspended Somerset County District Attorney Jeffrey Thomas is suing the county for suspending his salary and benefits. Wolf has the option of signing the bill into law, vetoing the bill or letting it ride for 10 days at which point it will automatically become Pennsylvania law. Since Somerset County District Attorney Jeffrey Thomas II has been charged with felony rape, several questions have emerged about his position, according to court officials. 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