Pettit takes bench as Washington County’s newest judge
Mike Jones/Observer-Reporter
Judge Jesse Pettit is sworn-in Monday with his wife, Rebecca, and their children by his side.
Mike Jones/Observer-Reporter
Judge Jesse Pettit speaks Monday after being sworn-in to the bench on the Court of Common Pleas in Washington County.
Jesse Pettit sits with his family Monday before being sworn-in as judge in the Court of Common Pleas of Washington County.
Judge Jesse Pettit is sworn-in Monday with his wife, Rebecca, by his side.
Mike Jones/Observer-Reporter
Stacey Andronas, the wife of newly elected Sheriff Tony Andronas, pins a new badge on her husband’s uniform during Monday’s swearing-in ceremony.
Mike Jones/Observer-Reporter
Newly elected Sheriff Tony Andronas is sworn-in Monday during a ceremony in the Washington County Courthouse.
Mike Jones/Observer-Reporter
Newly elected Recorder of Deeds Carrie Perrell is sworn-in Monday with her husband, Eric, and her sister, Terri Fetchko, by her side.
Mike Jones/Observer-Reporter
Newly elected Controller April Sloane is sworn-in Monday while her son, Brandon Cridge, holds the Bible.
Jesse Pettit couldn’t hide his enthusiasm as his mentor in the law, Senior U.S. Circuit Judge D. Michael Fisher, helped him pull on a black robe moments after he was sworn-in to serve as Washington County’s next judge on the Court of Common Pleas.
“He’s been a personal friend,” Pettit said of Fisher after Monday’s swearing-in ceremony at the Washington County Courthouse. “He’s given me guidance and advice throughout my career, and he’s played an important role in my career.”
Fisher, who served as state Attorney General in the late 1990s and early 2000s, hired Pettit right out of law school to work in his office and helped propel his legal career that began as a state prosecutor.
“He learned the law quickly and he worked hard and he was good with people,” Fisher said. “Those three things are usually a good combination.”
Fisher wasn’t surprised that Pettit would eventually be elevated to judge after getting to see him work in his office. Pettit, who lives in Peters Township, has served as magistrate for the past four years in the district centered around his hometown until he was elected a judge in the county courthouse last year and took his seat on the bench Monday.
“It’s a happy day, it’s a great day for Washington County,” said Fisher, who is also a Peters Township resident. “It’s no surprise to me the people of Washington County elected him. He’s got a great future ahead of him.”
During a short speech, Pettit thanked his family for helping him through his legal and political career. However, he did not mention the name of his late father, John Pettit, who served as the county’s district attorney for 24 years before he lost reelection in 2007.
“Thank you for being right here by my side throughout this journey,” Pettit said to his wife, Rebecca, and their four children. “Thank you for the sacrifices that you all have made over the last year of this journey. … I hope to make you all proud. I hope to make the citizens of Washington County proud.”
Pettit will handle family law and protection-from-abuse cases as the court’s newest judge.
After Fisher helped him pull on his robe, Pettit breathed a sigh of relief and then said, “OK,” before he was immediately thrust into his first official duty as Court of Common Pleas judge and administered the oath of office to District Judge Curtis Thompson for another term. Newly elected magistrates Kelly Stewart, Louis McQuillan and John Bruner also were sworn-in during Monday’s ceremony.
After a short recess for a reception following the judiciary ceremony, the gathering reconvened to swear-in three new row officers to county government. Sheriff Tony Andronas, Controller April Sloane and Recorder of Deeds Carrie Perrell each took the oath Monday after winning their first terms in their respective row offices in November.