"The bill provides needed uniformity and efficiency to current law and for those who discharge the duties of the office. 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.. You have permission to edit this article. Assistant Public Defender, District 2 (Dorchester . The law, identified as. She has served as a Deputy District Attorney, Assistant Attorney General and as the State Representative for House District 57, serving on the Judiciary Committee. Thomas' law license was suspended Oct. 27 by the state Supreme Court following a petition by the Pennsylvania Disciplinary Board's Office of Disciplinary Counsel, which reviews attorney conduct issues. Thomas is accused of assaulting his wife last year on the way home from a Johnstown bar an act both he and his wife maintain did not occur. Since September, Thomas has been fighting charges of sexual assault, with the Pennsylvania Office ofAttorney Generalis prosecuting the case. District Attorney District Attorney's Office 41 Court St. Skowhegan, ME 04976 Ph: 207-474-2423 Fx: 207-474-7407 Staff Directory. Separate fees are paid for pleas or trials, the fee schedule shows. 420 when asked if the county was going to address the pay for Thomas since he has been shut out of any legal work in the courthouse and his office until the criminal case against him is resolved. Address and Phone Number for Somerset County District Attorney, a District Attorney Office, at East Union Street, Somerset PA. Name Somerset County District Attorney Suggest Edit Address 111 East Union Street Somerset , Pennsylvania , 15501 Phone 814-445-1456 Map of Somerset County District Attorney A day after the disciplinary counsel's ruling, Somerset County President Judge D. Gregory Geary issued an administrative order that galvanized the temporary suspension of the law license of Thomas. Conflicts of interestwith the ethics law, he added,area little different from what the standard conflict of interest might be. Suspended Somerset DA's sexual assault trial continued to 2023. Find 8 external resources related to Somerset County Prosecuting Attorney. ", Even though the word in the state capital is that Wolf will sign the bill, he added: "Nothing is real until it is real.". Schaffer said she could not discuss that process involving Thomas due to privacy guidelines but that it was "deemed that he qualified," saying she was unable to elaborate. The Somerset County District Attorney, located in Somerset, PA, is an agency that prosecutes criminal cases on behalf of the Somerset government. 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. Services for Citizens. State police charged Thomas, of Windber, with rape, indecent assault,. Sep. 8SOMERSET, Pa. Suspended Somerset County District Attorney Jeffrey Thomas is suing the county for suspending his salary and benefits. County solicitor Michael Barbera saidthe suspension of Thomas's pay and all benefits, including insurance, took effectNov. 26 when First Assistant District Attorney Molly Metzgar was sworn in as the acting district attorney. All Rights Reserved. 0:36. In the case of disbarment, avacancy will be created that would be filled under current state law. The law, identified as Act 88 of 2021, will more than likely mean that Somerset County District Attorney Jeff Thomas will stop receiving a paycheck from his present employer. What:State Supreme Court suspends Somerset County District Attorney Jeffrey Thomas' law license, Latest:The latest on Somerset County DA: prohibited from any legal action in courthouse, protection order withdrawn, Facing:Attorney general's office amends charges against Somerset County district attorney, State Sen. Pat Stefano (R-Fayette/Somerset/Westmoreland), who voted for the bill, said basically the law is in a place of "all procedural. Low 48F. Please accept this correspondence as the Somerset County District Attorneys Office request to withdraw the pending criminal charges in the above-captioned matter, Jeffrey Thomas wrote in the brief letter, which bears the subject line RE: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Amy L. Thomas.. "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. Thomas' lawsuit is filed against Somerset County, home to the salary board that took action against him and the offices that comprise the board, including the commissioners' and treasurer's offices. Support Staff Child Support Unit: David Hurst is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. Popularity:#13 of 21 District Attorney Offices in New Jersey#1,532 in District Attorney Offices. The Somerset County Prosecuting Attorney, located in Somerville, NJ, is an agency that prosecutes criminal cases on behalf of the Somerville government. Follow him on Twitter@TDDavidHurstand Instagram@TDDavidHurst. 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. But the Somerset County Courthouse is a county building. A letter to District Judge Bill Seger ofWindber indicates that Somerset County District Attorney JeffThomas attempted to intervene in his wife's case. Staff Directory | ME-Somerset County, Maine | Official Website Please send a message to it@somersetcounty-me.org if you're having trouble with our website. 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. In Somerville, the District Attorney plays a central role in criminal cases, working with police to decide whether to bring charges and prosecuting the case in court. All Rights Reserved. Sheriff's Office Somerset County Jail. A Westmoreland County woman who said she witnessed the act during a FaceTime video call with Amy Thomas that night contends otherwise. He has not been able to work as an attorney for 10 months but was given approval this summer to work at his father's auto garage while on electronic monitoring. 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Thomas has been charged with sexual assault in a case that is now in the Somerset County Court of Common Pleas since Thomas's attorney waived his client's appearance in an arraignment hearing at the trial court level. High 63F. If Thomas's law license suspension is revoked by the disciplinary board and ratified by the state Supreme Court, then Metzgar will no longer be acting district attorney andwouldreturn to the first assistantposition. 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. "Ithink that by itself is enough to raise a significant question," Davis said in reference to the letter. By Todd Berkey tberkey@tribdem.com. Police said he strangled and sexually assaulted the woman before she was able to escape his grasp and only agreed to leave after she promised not to contact the police. The otheris if the district attorney's law license is disbarred. Somerset County District Attorney Jeffrey Thomas arrives for his preliminary hearing at the Somerset County Courthouse on Tuesday, October 19, 2021. The letter bears Thomas signature under his offices letterhead and is dated Sept. 13 before the state Office of Attorney General took steps to gain prosecutorial control of the domestic assault case, which has two charges filed against his wife, Amy Thomas. 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).". Act 88 of 2021, signed into law by Pennsylvania Gov. The county courts, up to this point, have sought outside judges to handle matters involving Thomas in order to avoid conflicts of interest, because he handled cases through the local court system for two years in his role as district attorney. get driving directions from your location, US Department of Justice - US Attorneys Website, Somerset County Court Records (Pennsylvania), Somerset County Court of Common Pleas Court Records, Somerset County District Attorney Arraignment Records, Somerset County Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court Website. "Whether or not it does is something the disciplinary board would determine.". Creany said Friday he was already taking steps to prepare for Thomas trial, with initial questionnaires already sent to 200 potential jurors about the possibility of serving in the case. Find 7 external resources related to Somerset County District Attorney. Information found on CountyOffice.org is strictly for informational purposes and does not construe legal, financial or medical advice. Dickey also filed a motion to postpone trial until a future term of court, online court records show. get driving directions from your location, US Department of Justice - US Attorneys Website. His attorney, Ryan Tutera of Pittsburgh, returned a phone call requesting comment on the letter, but had no comment on the matter. My bill would also establish safeguards so that the office of district attorney would continue to operate uninterrupted in the event of a suspension of the law license or disbarment from the practice of law of a sitting district attorney.". Senate Bill No. Privacy Policy Chance of rain 70%. CountyOffice.org does not provide consumer reports and is not a consumer reporting agency as defined by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). 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