COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – When Branch County Circuit Court Judge Bill O’Grady searched for a replacement for former Prosecuting Attorney Ralph Kimble, he found his candidate right within the department.
O’Grady has appointed current Chief Assistant Prosecutor Valerie White as Prosecutor to fill out Kimble’s term through 2020. White originally joined the Prosecutor’s Office in 2013. In making his announcement, Judge O’Grady said he felt White’s administrative insight, legal aptitude, compassion for victims, and professional demeanor to lead the office.
After months of denial, Kimble decided in late November to step down at the first of the year after working out an agreement with the State of Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission which included a six month suspension from practicing law.
He agreed to plea no contest to the Commission to two of the accusations that were filed in an amended formal complaint. He also admitted “to the factual and the allegations of professional misconduct” set forth in six other counts.
Former Prosecutor and current county commissioner Terri Norris has already announced she plans to run for the position again in 2020, even if she’s not appointed on an interim basis.
