By Marty Trese, KnoxPages.com Editor
MOUNT VERNON – Richard Wetzel took the oath of office to become Knox County’s next Common Pleas Court Judge Thursday afternoon. The swearing in ceremony was conducted by outgoing judge Otho Eyster at the Knox County Courthouse. Attorneys, elected officials, law enforcement officers, family and friends packed the courtroom. Wetzel’s father, Richard Wetzel, held the Bible.
Following the swearing in, Wetzel’s wife Diana helped him put on the judge’s robe. Judge Wetzel said the current staff will all be staying on with him. He also said he has talked to hundreds of people in Knox County and there are two things he learned. One, that he has big shoes to fill and two, that there is great affection for Judge Eyster.
Judge Eyster thanked his staff and said, “There isn’t another court in the state that handles the caseload that we do with as few people.” The President of the Knox County Bar Association, Brittany Whitney, said it was a monumental day and that Eyster is the father figure of the Knox County bar. She presented Eyster with a clock on behalf of the association.
Wetzel, a Republican, was elected in November running unopposed. He defeated Noel Alden in the March primary.
Wetzel has been a practicing attorney with Crabbe, Brown & James in Columbus for over 33 years. He has conducted jury trials, bench trials and other contested matters in over 17 counties around the state. He has also argued in The Ohio Supreme Court, The U.S. District Court and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Among the cases Judge Wetzel is expected to preside over in 2017 is the murder trial of Herschel Jones who has been indicted in the January 2016 shooting death of Danville Police Officer Thomas Cottrell.
