‘We’re making really good progress’ – Thecountypress

LAPEER After almost two months in office, Lapeer County Prosecutor John Miller is starting to get things in order after being left with a huge backlog of work.

Miller came before the Board of Commissioners on Thursday with an update and several requests.

First, Miller introduced his lineup of assistant prosecutors Paul Walton, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Bart Buxton, Jr. and Kim Morrison noting that he has not yet filled one assistant prosecuting attorney position because he hasnt found the right candidate.

When he first came into office, Miller told the board, every day he was faced with emergencies based on things that had not been done by the previous staff. He also had what he called a concerning amount of warrant requests that had not been attended to, holding his hand several feet above the podium to demonstrate the height of the stack.

I thought it might take us three months to work through that pile, said Miller, adding that those warrant requests some of them for serious offenses have already been reviewed and reassigned. He now has a goal of having every warrant request that comes into the office reviewed within 10 days.

The workload in the office is going fairly well at this point in time, said Miller. Im happy to report that were making really good progress.

Miller said they are also preparing for the return of jury trials, which had been paused due to the pandemic. He said the State Court Administrators Office is estimating that will occur in May and said the KC Grondin case will likely be the first local trial, with a couple homicide cases following.

Weve got a plan to move things forward pretty quickly when we get to that point, Miller said.

Miller brought forth a request to start Walton, his chief assistant prosecutor, at a higher pay grade, citing his extensive experience and expertise as a prosecuting attorney as the reason. Walton served in the Oakland County Prosecutors Office since April 1991, and in the Chief Assistant Prosecutor role since January 2009 before coming to Lapeer County in January of this year.

I got the number one pick in the draft, said Miller, explaining how he felt when Walton applied for the job. Im going into a high-stakes poker game with my bag of change and trying to come out a winner. Im here, hat in hand, to try to get the best I can for him.

Considering Waltons experience and the matching pay grade of the previous Chief Assistant Prosecutor, the board voted to start Walton at the top pay level, with Commissioner Lenny Schneider referring to him as a Tom Brady in the legal field. That decision is expected to be finalized at next weeks full board meeting.

Miller also negotiated with the board to serve as the legal counsel for county departments during his term, for a cost of $17,000, and the majority of the board agreed to that as well, with the stipulation that attorney Howard Shifman will review the contract before it is made official at next weeks full board meeting.

Previous prosecutors before Mike Sharkey served as legal counsel with no contract, and during Sharkeys term, the board hired other attorneys to fill in that role. The $17,000, according to Administrator Quentin Bishop, is a steal of a deal.

After hearing Millers plans to move the Prosecutors Office forward efficiently and voting to approve his requests, Commissioner Bryan Zender had one caution for Miller: Mr. Miller, respectfully, no excuses.

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'We're making really good progress' - Thecountypress