Yarger sworn in as judge, Staas takes oath as prosecutor

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

The Van Wert County Juvenile/Probate Court courtroom was quite full Thursday afternoon, but it wasn’t for the usual type of business conducted there.

Instead, a brief ceremony was held to administer the oath of office to Eva Yarger, who was recently appointed by Governor Mike DeWine to fill the seat previously held by now-retired Judge Kevin Taylor. The oath was administered by her nephew, Andrew Yarger, who is an attorney in Cleveland. She’ll officially begin her new duties next Tuesday, February 17.

After Yarger was sworn in, assistant prosecutor Dillon Staas, IV took the oath to become the county’s acting prosecutor. Van Wert County Common Pleas Court Judge Martin D. Burchfield administered the oath. Family, friends, court officials, law enforcement officials and others packed the small courtroom in the Van Wert County Annex to see Yarger and Staas sworn into their new positions.

Yarger served as county prosecutor since 2017. She began her law career in 1989, when she served as an associate for local law office Johnson & Burchfield. In 1993, Yarger served as an associate at Hatcher, Diller, Rice & Beebe. In 1997, Yarger joined Young, Taylor, Steele, and Yarger as a partner, which later became Young & Yarger, while also serving as an assistant prosecutor for the Van Wert County Prosecutor’s Office from 1996 to 2017. In 2017, Yarger left Young & Yarger to serve as a full-time assistant prosecutor in Allen County for several months.

In 1986, Yarger received a bachelor’s degree in political science and minors in English and economics from The Ohio State University. She received her juris doctorate from Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, formerly the Arizona State University College of Law in 1989.

She learned of the appointment to fill the vacated seat earlier this month.

“I was very excited and thrilled,” Yarger said of learning of the appointment. “It had been going on for so long that I kind of stopped expecting anything. It’s the pinnacle of your profession but I’ve been really looking forward to it – I’ve been on the other side for so long advocating for children, so this is the perfect job for me because I have all the experience and I’d like to explore everything we can do for the kids here in Van Wert County.”

Yarger acknowledged that during her lengthy law career, a judgeship was always in the back of her mind.

Yarger will serve the remainder of the unfinished term, which expires in February, 2027. To retain the seat, she’ll have to run in the May 5 primary. Her opponent will be local attorney and Van Wert County Commissioner Todd Wolfrum. The winner of the race will be unopposed in November, unless an independent candidate submits nominating petitions to the Van Wert County Board of Elections before the May 4 filing deadline.

Staas was appointed by the Van Wert County Commissioners to serve as acting prosecutor. Presumably, the Van Wert County Republican Central Committee will vote to make the appointment permanent for the remainder of the term. By law, the committee must make the appointment sometime between next Tuesday and April 3.

Staas said maintaining continunity in the prosecutor’s office was important due to the fact that some significant criminal cases are on the docket.

“Speedy trial rights don’t wait because there’s a change in power so we’ve got to be able to pick up the ball and keep running with those cases,” Staas said. “Eva and I worked really well together over the last few years…we bounced stuff off each other all the time.”

Yarger said she has no doubt that Staas will do a fine job.

“He’s smart, a good litigator and very diplomatic when talking to people – he’s the perfect replacement,” she stated.

With his appointment as prosecutor, Staas said he’s working to find a replacement to fill a vacancy in his office and said he’s talking with someone who previously served as an assistant prosecutor in the county who has interest in coming back.