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Marion County Board votes to double salary of Assistant State’s Attorney to handle delinquent and abused children cases

By WJBD Staff Aug 24, 2022 | 8:39 AM
Marion County State's Attorney Tim Hudspeth speaks to the Marion County Board. Photo by Bruce Kropp.

The Marion County Board did more than they were asked Tuesday night to help the State’s Attorney’s office fill an assistants position that will be dedicated solely to child abuse and neglect cases.

State’s Attorney Tim Hudspeth noted the position being advertised at $50,000 a year since July 1st had only attracted one applicant who was not yet a licensed attorney.   He along with Juvenile Judge Ericka Sanders and Marion County Resident Judge Mark Stedelin asked the county board to raise the salary to $80,000.    Judge Sanders had obtained a grant for at least one year of $30,000 to cover the difference, but there was no guarantee the grant would continue.

After discussing the plight of the abused and neglected children, the county board decided they want to do more and voted to increase the starting salary of the attorney to $100,000.

Hudspeth says that should allow him to find an experienced attorney who will stay, instead of working with a beginners.

“Lawyers coming out of law school with little or no experience, being thrown in to juvenile neglect and abuse cases which are unlike anything you learn in law school.  There are so many little nuances to them that you are not prepared for.  Rules of evidence are different than in just a normal civil or criminal case.  And new attorney’s need a lot of guidance to learn how to handle abuse and neglect cases.”

And Hudspeth says with the low salary, the position was a stepping stone to something better.

Judge Sanders was extremely appreciative to the county board for understanding the seriousness of the need and says their action will make a big difference.

“Assistant States Attorney can make or break an abuse and neglect case.  They have to be able to identify the appropriate witnesses to call, they have to know the rule of evidence, the juvenile and civil code of procedures, if they don’t know all of those codes, the case law and precedent it literally  means life or death for a child.  It means does a child go home to to horrific situations or will they stay in a foster home where they hopefully will get the services they need and so will the parents for reunification.”

Sanders says if the issues of the abused and neglected children are not solved when they are children they will become a much greater problem when they are adults.   She feels by helping the child they can help break the cycle of poverty and mental illness they will face as an adult.  Judge Steadlin said with the lower salary they are working against themselves.

Under the plan, the new attorney will only be assigned to the estimated 70 to 80 abuse and neglect cases in the county each year, with the criminal juvenile cases to be handled by someone else in the county.