J.D. Tomlinson, Lorain County Prosecutor candidate, November 2024

J.D. Tomlinson

Political party: Democrat

Looking for an office: Lorain County Prosecutor

Age: 43

Place of residence: Amherst community

Create a list of campaign websites and/or social media accounts for campaigns: jdtomlinson.org

Occupation: Lorain County Prosecutor

Employer: Lorain County, Ohio

Selected office experience (The office must have appeared on a public ballot): I was elected to the Lorain County Prosecutor’s Office in 2020.

Unchosen experience (boards, organizations, etc.): Lorain Palace Civic Center Board of Directors

Education: Oberlin College, BA, Economics Case Western Reserve School of Law, JD.

If elected, what are the three specific areas you would like to change, address, improve or further explore, and how specifically would you address that?: 1). I would like to continue our commitment to solving cold cases. Since taking office in 2021, my office has solved several cold cases. One of those cases involved the murder of Nicholas Cooper, a four-month-old baby. Nicholas was beaten to death by his babysitter in 2017. The previous government refused to prosecute. But we didn’t. We solved the case and secured a conviction, bringing justice to Nicholas and his family.

2). Stay aggressive in our fight against human trafficking. My office has prioritized this issue. For example, my office, in collaboration with local law enforcement agencies, has conducted seven human trafficking investigations, including two operations that focused exclusively on child victims. These efforts have resulted in 35 arrests. In May 2023, my office successfully prosecuted the first and largest human trafficking case in Lorain County history. That defendant was sentenced to 174 years to life, sending a clear message that human trafficking will not be tolerated in our community.

3). Continue our successful efforts to secure federal grants. For the first time in Lorain County history, the Lorain County Prosecutor’s Office has applied for and received nearly $500,000 in federal grants. This money is currently being used to prosecute cases of violence against women and children.

Why should voters choose you, whether it’s for past performance or future goals?: Both. My office has accomplished more in the past four years than during the entire term of the previous administration. For example, we processed and prosecuted 150 secret indictments that were ignored and filed away by my predecessor and my opponent. That means 150 victims were denied justice. But we solved that problem.

In addition, we have provided child identification cards to approximately 4,000 children and their parents. These cards contain a photo, identifying information and a fingerprint. This card can be provided immediately to the police in the unfortunate event that a child goes missing.

Crime in Lorain County has dropped significantly. For example, our largest cities have experienced double-digit declines in violent street crime in recent years. In the city of Lorain alone, the murder rate has been cut in half. Crime has also fallen in the townships of our provinces. Why has crime dropped in Lorain County? Because my office promotes effective and respectful communication with local law enforcement. This synergy has produced tangible and dramatic results.

My office also increased successful prosecutions of high-level crimes by 12%. We have also increased successful prosecutions of high-level sexual offenses by 26%. And at the same time, we have doubled the number of offenders admitted to our diversion program. As a result, restitution to crime victims has doubled. And we have a zero percent recidivism rate, which means we choose the right offenders to rehabilitate.