Published: November 24, 2009 10:38 pm      

Governor appoints new judge

Life-long Kokomo and Tipton resident will fill vacancy left after Harper’s death

TIPTON — Gov. Mitch Daniels’ office has filled a three-month vacancy on Tipton City Court’s bench.

The governor’s office announced Tuesday the appointment of 47-year Tipton resident Jack Richter as the city’s judge. He will fill a vacancy left by Judge Lewis Harper, who died in August while he served in office.

“I’ve been around Tipton County all my life, and I kind of know how people around here feel about how things should be done,” Richter said.

Brad Rateike, a spokesman for Daniels’ office, said Richter’s “great standing” in Tipton was a big reason behind his appointment.

“With that, combined with being highly recommended, [that was why] the governor wanted to select him,” Rateike said.

Richter was born in Kokomo, then moved to Sharpsville, where he graduated from Sharpsville High School in 1956. He then enlisted in the U.S. Navy, serving as a carpenter with the Seabees until 1959.

He received a degree in accounting from Ivy Tech Community College in 1971 and worked in the accounting department of Delco Electronics in Kokomo until he retired in 1995.

His first experience with the legal system came after he retired when he went to work as a bailiff for former Tipton County Circuit Court Judge D.P. Nash.

Richter said his experience as a bailiff has helped him learn some of the basics about the legal system, but he will have a lot to learn once the state swears him into office.

“I’m not going to set the world on fire the first day,” he said.

Under Indiana law, it is not usually mandatory to be an attorney to be a city or town court judge.

Rateike said it is “not uncommon” for the governor’s office to appoint a non-attorney judge to serve in a city court. There are nine or 10 cities in the state that require city judges to be attorneys, but Tipton is not one of them, he said.

City courts are primarily responsible for handling minor offenses, mostly misdemeanors and infractions, such as traffic violations.

• Daniel Human is a Kokomo Tribune staff writer. He can be reached at 765-454-8570 or at daniel.human@kokomotribune.com.