Wright City’s municipal prosecuting attorney, Nathan Carroz, will take over as municipal judge beginning May 1. The city’s board of aldermen in February issued a request for qualifications for …
This item is available in full to subscribers.
We have recently launched a new and improved website. To continue reading, you will need to either log into your subscriber account, or purchase a new subscription.
If you are a digital subscriber with an active subscription, or you are a print subscriber who had access to our previous wesbite, then you already have an account here. Just reset your password if you have not yet logged in to your account on this new site.
If you are a current print subscriber and did not have a user account on our previous website, you can set up a free website account by clicking here.
Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.
Please log in to continue |
Wright City’s municipal prosecuting attorney, Nathan Carroz, will take over as municipal judge beginning May 1.The city’s board of aldermen in February issued a request for qualifications for the judge position, in advance of the end of Judge Tony Linson’s current two-year term. At that time, Linson chose not to reapply for the position, Mayor David Heiliger said.Carroz initially wasn’t going to take the position, either. The sole applicant for the position was Warren County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Andrew Bailey. Wright City aldermen had no objections to having Bailey as judge, and the attorney expressed enthusiasm for the position when he met with the board in March.However, a conflict of interest prevented Bailey from taking the job. An ethics adviser told Bailey he would not be able to handle municipal cases involving anyone he had filed charges against as a prosecutor. That would drastically reduce Bailey’s effectiveness as a judge, so he withdrew his application.Carroz, who is the prosecuting attorney for Montgomery County, said he wouldn’t have that issue.“Luckily with them being in separate counties, I shouldn’t see too many of the same folks,” Carroz said. “Obviously we will be monitoring that. There shouldn’t be too many conflicts that arise.”The prosecuting attorney position in Montgomery County is part time, allowing Carroz to hold other positions and run a private practice. Carroz said he doesn’t have much time to devote to private cases, and that he mostly handles wills, trusts and estate planning.Since Carroz will vacate his Wright City prosecutor position, aldermen turned to the obvious replacement: Bailey. Holding two prosecutor positions won’t create a conflict of interests, officials said. Bailey will take on the prosecutor role beginning May 1.The Wright City Municipal Court handles local ordinance violations as well as minor offenses such as shoplifting and first-time driving while intoxicated, clerk Marie Hollenbeck said.Municipal Court is held twice per month on Wednesdays at Wright City Hall. It is a division of the Warren County Circuit Court.Law
