Warren County Prosecuting Attorney Kelly King has been named a deputy attorney general for Missouri.

The announcement was made by Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s office on Sept. 12.

“Kelly King has earned a reputation of being a tough-on-crime prosecutor who has sentenced countless criminals to hundreds of years in prison,” Bailey said in the announcement. “Kelly King is a fierce advocate for justice, and one of the finest attorneys in the state. I could not be more thrilled to have her join my senior leadership team.”

King said she found out she had gotten the position last week, and that it came as a surprise.

“It was pretty out of the blue,” she said. “I mean, I had conversations with Andrew but this particular position I was not aware it was an option, quite frankly.”

King said she’s known Bailey for more than a decade.

“When I first met Andrew, he was an intern in Montgomery County,” she said. “He was a law student when I first met him and then he came to work for me when I took office in 2014.”

Bailey referenced that working relationship in the announcement.

“She mentored me during my time as a prosecutor in Warren County, which is why I’m so excited to have her on my team,” he said.

King will oversee the day-to-day management of Missouri’s law firm and serve as a senior adviser to Bailey, according to the announcement.

“It’s something completely different than I’ve ever done. That’s exciting,” King said. “I’m looking forward to working with Andrew again and there’s a team of brilliant people at the attorney general’s office. I think that’ll be fascinating.”

King said she’s looking forward to continuing her public service, something that began when she became an assistant prosecutor in Warren County in 2007. But she got emotional when she talked about what she’ll miss about serving the county.

“It’s really been my privilege to serve Warren County for 16 years,” she said. “I’m grateful for all of the support I’ve had and the opportunities I’ve had here. It’s been pretty amazing.”

King did not yet know when she would begin serving in her new position or when she would vacate her role as county prosecutor but anticipated it would be within the next 30 to 60 days.

“Scheduling is really the big issue right now,” she said. “I want to do my very best to make it as smooth a transition as possible.”

No announcement has yet been made as to who will fill the role of county prosecutor when King vacates the position. King said the presiding judge would likely appoint an interim prosecutor.

About the author: Jason Koch is the editor of The Warren County Record, and covers local news and government for the newspaper. He has won multiple awards from both the Indiana and Illinois APME and from the Illinois Press Association. He can be reached at 636-456-6397 or at jason@warrencountyrecord.com