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E-mail Prosecutor Heaton The Prosecutor is a servant of the people and the government. He is an advocate for both. He must be vigilant in the quest to seek out and convict the guilty, but must also ensure that the innocent are not wrongly convicted or oppressed. He must strive to preserve the public welfare and safety of all citizens. He must always seek justice. |
WHO WE ARE
The Logan County
Prosecuting Attorney is an elected official. The term of office is four years. The current
term began in January of 2001 and runs through December of 2004.
The Logan County
Prosecutor's Office is located at 117 East Columbus Ave. In Bellefontaine, Ohio on the
second floor. The telephone number of the office is (937) 593-3755 or (937) 599-7272. The
telefax number is (937) 599-7271. The office is open during regular county office hours
from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The current Logan
County Prosecuting Attorney is Gerald L. Heaton. He is serving his sixth term having
originally been elected to serve beginning in January of 1989. Prosecutor Heaton graduated
from Ohio Northern Law School in 1976 and received his license to practice law in 1977. He
served as an assistant prosecutor from 1979 through 1984. Prosecutor Heaton is active in
Logan County Community affairs. He is proud to serve the community as Prosecuting Attorney
and continues to strive to improve the quality of life in our county.
GENERAL DUTIES OF THE PROSECUTING ATTORNEY
The
duties of the office are many and varied. The prosecuting attorney inquires into the
commission of crimes within the county. The prosecuting
attorney prosecutes, on behalf of the state, all complaints, suits, and controversies in
which the state is a party, and other suits, matters, and controversies that the
prosecuting attorney is required to prosecute within or outside the county, in the probate
court, court of common pleas, and court of appeals. In conjunction with the attorney
general, the prosecuting attorney shall prosecute in the supreme court cases arising in
the prosecuting attorney's county.
The prosecuting
attorney is the legal adviser of the board of county
commissioners, board of elections, county engineer, county
sheriff, county board of MRDD, county children services board, county auditor, county treasurer, county recorder, county
clerk of courts, and all other county officers and boards, including all tax-supported
public libraries, and any of them may require written opinions or instructions from the
prosecuting attorney in matters connected with their official duties. The prosecuting
attorney is the legal adviser for all township trustees and clerks. The prosecuting
attorney shall prosecute and defend all suits and actions which any such officer or board
directs or to which it is a party, and no county officer may employ any other counsel or
attorney at the expense of the county, unless authorized to do so by the prosecuting
attorney.
Where, after
investigation, the prosecuting attorney is satisfied that funds of the county, or public
moneys in the hands of the county treasurer or belonging to the county, are about to be or
have been misapplied, or that any such public moneys have been illegally drawn or withheld
from the county treasury, or that a contract, in contravention of law, has been executed
or is about to be entered into, or that such a contract was procured by fraud or
corruption, or that any property, real or personal, belonging to the county is being
illegally used or occupied, or that such property is being used or occupied in violation
of contract, or that the terms of a contract made by or on behalf of the county are being
or have been violated, or that money is due the county, the prosecuting attorney may, by
civil action in the name of the state, apply to a court of competent jurisdiction, to
restrain such contemplated misapplication of funds, or the completion of such illegal
contract, or to recover, for the use of the county, all public moneys so misapplied or
illegally drawn or withheld from the county treasury, or to recover damages, for the
benefit of the county, resulting from the execution of such illegal contract, or to
recover, for the benefit of the county, such real or personal property so used or
occupied, or to recover for the benefit of the county, damages resulting from the
nonperformance of the terms of such contract, or to otherwise enforce it, or to recover
such money as is due the county.
