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Hill County Commissioners Appoint New County Attorney

The previous county attorney resigned in the face of criticism that she failed to show up for court hearings and was unprepared

By Associated Press

HAVRE — Hill County’s commissioners appointed a new county attorney after the previous one resigned in the face of criticism that she failed to show up for court hearings and was unprepared, sometimes leading to cases being dismissed.

The Havre Daily News reports Deputy County Attorney Karen Alley was sworn in Monday. She is the only person on the November ballot for county attorney.

Jessica Cole-Hodgkinson was recently ordered to appear in District Court to answer for shortcomings in seven cases and to appear in Justice Court to explain why work wasn’t completed in three others. It’s unclear if her resignation as county attorney will affect her having to appear for those hearings.

Commission Chair Mark Peterson urged residents to give Alley some time to catch up on the backlog of cases.