(La Porte County, IN) - A third candidate is vying for the Republican Party nomination for judge in La Porte Circuit Court.

 

Kurt Earnst has been a public defender in major felony criminal cases in La Porte Circuit Court for the past 22 years, having also been an attorney with the law firm Braje, Nelson, and Janes, LLC in Michigan City for the last 27.

 

Earnest cited vast trial experience and extensive work in a wide variety of other legal cases at the local, state, and federal judicial levels for seeking to replace Judge Tom Alevizos, who is in the final year of his third six-year term after deciding not to seek reelection.

 

Earnst is also the fire chief in Long Beach, where he’s been with the department for more than 25 years.

 

He also helped start the La Porte County Veteran’s Treatment Court program and was a past judge of the Michigan City Teen Court program.  In addition, Earnst is a past board member and board chairman of the Boys and Girls Clubs in Michigan City.

 

Right now, Earnst is running against La Porte County Deputy Prosecutor Julianne Havens and La Porte County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Charles Watterson for the Republican nomination.