Deedrick officially named Tuscarawas County prosecutor

Scott Deedrick, who has served as acting prosecutor since February, has officially been named to the position.

Deedrick was appointed to the position March 19 by the Tuscarawas County Republican Central Committee. He has been associated with the prosecutor’s office for 29 years.

He will replace Ryan Styer, who was appointed as Common Pleas judge Feb. 4 by Gov. Mike DeWine to replace Judge Elizabeth Lehigh Thomakos, who retired from the bench Feb. 1.

Because Styer is a Republican, the local GOP had the job of naming his replacement.

“I can tell you that I’m greatly relieved that it’s finally over,” Deedrick said at the end of the meeting. “We’ve really done a good job of transitioning in the office and getting the work done, but we really need to move forward with hiring new staff.”

He must run in November to remain as a prosecutor until the end of Styer’s term, which ends in 2028.

“We’re not taking our foot off the gas,” he said. “We’re going forward to be ready in November and then two years later, I get to run again. So, I’ve got some campaigning to do. If the public doesn’t know me, they’ll know me soon enough.”

There were two candidates for prosecutor. The other was former state Rep. Brett Hillyer, R-Uhrichsville. The central committee voted 18-5 in favor of Deedrick.

Several committee members spoke in support of Deedrick before the vote.

New Philadelphia Councilwoman Cheryl Ramos said she received several phone calls urging her to vote for Deedrick.

“Because of the amount of recommendations I’ve gotten and from phone calls, I would like to encourage Mr. Deedrick,” she said.

Dover Mayor Shane Gunnoe said he has never had the number of outside people call and encourage him to vote for somebody.

“I have received five contacts from law enforcement, our former safety director in the city of Dover, a police chief of another town, a former judge, a couple of attorneys,” he said. “The thing that blows my mind is they don’t run in the same circles. Some of them don’t even like each other. They all said the same thing, they said we’ve worked with Scott, you need to vote for Scott.”

Jon Elsasser of Zoar spoke in support of Hillyer.

“With Brett as a state representative, he provided outstanding constituent services,” Elsasser said. “There’s nobody before him or since him that has provided the same level, I don’t think, as Brett was able to do. I assume he will bring that same level of dedication and service to the citizenry he did as a state legislator.”

Hillyer is a Republican candidate for county auditor in the May 5 primary.