MOUNT VERNON — John Thatcher has announced his candidacy for the Office of Knox County Prosecuting Attorney and has filed his petitions with the Board of Elections for the March 2012 primary. He is currently serving his second term as prosecutor.
Prior to being elected prosecutor in 2004, Thatcher practiced law in Mount Vernon for five years. Thatcher served as a Knox County assistant prosecuting attorney, from 1992 until 1999. He was admitted to practice law in Ohio after graduating from Capital University Law School in 1989.
Thatcher is a life-long resident of Knox County and a 1982 graduate of Centerburg High School and a 1986 graduate of Otterbein University. Thatcher and his wife, Beth, have been married for 25 years. The Thatchers have five children.
As prosecutor, Thatcher has doubled the number of felony prosecutions. His office currently handles over 200 felonies each year. He was instrumental in establishing the county’s first full-time child sexual abuse detective. He established a county-wide elder abuse and crime prevention organization last year.
Thatcher and his victim advocate are working with county law enforcement, courts, probation departments and other interested parties to reinstitute a county domestic violence collaborative board with the goal of improving domestic violence prosecutions.
For six years, Thatcher has served on the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association Legislative and Executive Committees that formulate the association’s position on proposed amendments to Ohio’s criminal laws. He represents the prosecutors in a statewide coalition of organizations concerned with community corrections issues. His office worked closely with State Rep. Margaret Ann Ruhl to pass a law outlawing dangerous synthetic drugs such as “bath salts” and “spice.” As a delegate to the Ohio Attorney General’s Elder Abuse Commission, he helped draft a bill recently submitted to the Ohio House of Representatives that will strengthen the state’s adult protective services laws and protect the state’s senior citizens.
Thatcher said his third term goals include, “Maintaining current levels of felony prosecutions by convening extra grand jury sessions each month. Since many crimes are committed by people addicted to drugs, I want to work with our law enforcement agencies to obtain grant funding for a full time detective to investigate the illegal diversion and abuse of prescription drugs and trafficking in street drugs. Anticipating decreasing levels of local government funds from the state, I will continue providing timely legal advice to help my local government clients preserve their tax dollars by avoiding unnecessary litigation.”
Thatcher was recently endorsed unanimously by the Knox County Republican Central Committee to run for Knox County prosecutor.
