The Columbia County District Attorney’s Office has vacancies consistent with the county’s internet site; however, whilst the positions have become open or why is not regarded. An assistant district attorney position and a victim-witness coordinator role are indexed as “vacant” at the district legal professional’s net page. Mary Ellen Karst and Marnie Thome, who had occupied the one’s roles, were now not listed with the aid of call. A telephone-wide variety indexed for Thome’s office went to a voicemail message that identified her as a victim-witness coordinator. The county’s human resources director, Joseph Ruf, is on vacation out of the country this week, his workplace said. He was not to be had to confirm the employment popularity of Thome and Karst. The Daily Register messaged an electronic mail cope with listed for Thome but did now not receive a reaction. Karst additionally could not be reached for comment Tuesday. District Attorney Tristan Eagon become not available Tuesday to remark. Eagon changed into appointed using former Gov. Scott Walker and stepped into the function Jan. 6 after former District Attorney Jane Kohlwey resigned halfway through her very last time period.
When the county’s Board of Supervisors’ Judiciary Committee met Tuesday morning, there has been no representative from the district attorney’s office in attendance. Several county board and judiciary committee members expressed difficulty moving forward at the committee’s expenditure reports and the district attorney’s 2018 annual record without representation from the district legal professional’s workplace. An assistant from the human assets workplace left the judiciary committee meeting Tuesday morning to request the district attorney’s presence. She mentioned lower back to the committee mins later that Eagon advised her the office became “brief-staffed” and Eagon might no longer make it to the final minutes of the assembly. The committee ended up balloting to approve the expenditure reviews unanimously and authorized the annual document with one dissenting vote.
Follow-up questions were tabled until May 14, while the committee reconvenes. Karst retired from the Dane County District Attorney’s Office earlier than she commenced working at the Columbia County District Attorney’s Office. In March 2017, the Wisconsin State Journal mentioned Karst became one of the numerous attorneys worried in a lawsuit filed in opposition to the Dane County District Attorney’s Office following an election. Bob Jambois, a former assistant district legal professional there, alleged that Ismael Ozanne and his team of workers careworn him for unsuccessfully going for walks against Ozanne in an election. A $350,000 agreement was reached in September 2018.