JD Tomlinson

Political party: Democrat

Looking for an office: Lorain County Prosecutor

Age: 43

City of residence: Amherst Township

List campaign websites and/or campaign social media accounts: jdtomlinson.org

Occupation: Lorain County Prosecutor

EMPLOYER: Lorain County, Ohio

Experience in the chosen office (Office must have appeared on a public ballot): I was elected Lorain County Prosecutor in 2020.

Unchosen experience (boards, organizations, etc.): Lorain Palace Civic Center Board of Directors

Education: Oberlin College, BA, Economics Case Western Reserve School of Law, JD.

If you were elected, what are three specific areas you would like to change, address, improve or further research and how would you go about it?: 1). I would like to continue our quest to solve cold cases. Since taking office in 2021, my office has solved several cold cases. One of those cases involved the killing of Nicholas Cooper, a 4-month-old baby. Nicholas was beaten to death by his babysitter in 2017. The previous administration refused to prosecute. But I didn’t. We solved the case and secured a conviction, bringing justice to Nicholas and his family.

2). We continue to be aggressive in our fight against human trafficking. My office has prioritized this issue. For example, my office, along with local law enforcement agencies, conducted 7 human trafficking investigations, including 2 operations focused exclusively on child victims. These efforts resulted in 35 arrests. In May 2023, my office successfully prosecuted the first and largest human trafficking case in Lorain County history. That defendant was sentenced to 174 years to life in prison, sending a clear message that human trafficking will not be tolerated in our community.

3). Continue our successful efforts to secure our federal grant money. For the first time in Lorain County history, the Lorain County Prosecutor’s Office applied for and received nearly $500,000 in federal grants. This money is currently being used to prosecute cases of violence against women and children.

Whether for past accomplishments or future goals, why should voters choose you?: Both. My office has accomplished more in the last 4 years than in the entire tenure of the previous administration. For example, I prosecuted and prosecuted 150 secret charges that were ignored and entered into an office by my predecessor and opponent. This means that 150 victims were denied justice. But we solved this problem.

In addition, we provided child ID cards to approximately 4,000 children and their parents. These cards include a picture, identifying information and a fingerprint. This card can be provided immediately to law enforcement in the unfortunate event that a child goes missing.

Crime in Lorain County has dropped significantly. For example, our largest cities have seen double-digit declines in violent street crime in previous years. In the city of Lorain alone, the crime rate was cut in half. Crime is also decreasing in the localities of our county. Why is crime low in Lorain County? Because my office promotes effective and respectful communication with local police agencies. This synergy produced tangible and dramatic results.

My office also increased the number of successful prosecutions of high-level felony offenses by 12%. We also increased the number of successful prosecutions of high-level criminal sex offenses by 26%. And at the same time, we doubled the number of offenders placed in our Diversion Program. As a result, restitution to crime victims has doubled. And we have a zero percent recidivism rate, which means we pick the right offenders for rehabilitation.