Mark Caruso, 40, has filed his candidacy for judge of Superior Court II on the Republican ticket.

The incumbent is James Jarrette.

Caruso, originally from New Jersey, began working as a deputy prosecuting attorney in June 1997. For more than four years he was assigned to Superior Court II, handling thousands of misdemeanor and infraction cases each year.

He is presently assigned to Superior Court III, where he prosecutes felony traffic offenses and felony non-support-of-a-dependent cases.

"During my four years in Superior Court II, I was able to establish a good working relationship with law enforcement officials and the defense bar," he said. "Among my frustrations, and one of the reasons I am running for judge, is that the court's calendar needs to be controlled better, requiring accountability from the criminal defendants and flexibility for attorneys and witnesses.

"I believe that sentences must have consistency and I believe each case must be looked at on its individual merits before a sentence is pronounced.

"This is something the judge, not the prosecutor, ultimately controls. Most of my colleagues, both in law enforcement and in the bar, agree with me on these issues."

A newcomer to the community, Caruso, who is single, says he is not part of the old-boy network and cannot call in any favors.

"I do not owe anyone any favors, either," he said.

The 1992 graduate of Indiana University School of Law, Indianapolis, said he would like to make the relationship between law enforcement, local attorneys, the clerk's office and the court's staff much more amicable.

"My goal is to streamline the system presently in place," he said. "The city court I previously worked in had nearly identical misdemeanor and infraction numbers and was able to complete its business with only two hearing days per week. The burden placed on members of the public and other witnesses under the system currently in place is absurd and does nothing but generate unnecessary paperwork for everyone involved."

Caruso said the present system "pumps up the numbers" to make the court appear busier than it really is.

"I hope to correct these practices and make life for those who have to come to court more respectful and reasonable."

Prior to working in the county, Caruso was deputy prosecuting attorney in Starke County from 1993 to 1997. There his caseload included all misdemeanors, infractions, traffic felonies, domestic batteries and sex crimes.

He was vice president of the Starke County Council for the Prevention of Child Abuse in 1998 and attended several classes and training seminars regarding the prosecution of child abuse and neglect cases.

At IU Caruso was a 1990-91 Lloyd Balfour Scholar.

He interned in the office of Jeff Modisett, the then-Marion County prosecuting attorney, under the supervision of senior deputy prosecutor Richard Plath. As an intern he sat second chair on several trials and tried his first felony case, a conviction for battery with a deadly weapon.

He also trained with both the Marion County Sheriff's and Indianapolis Police Departments' Child Abuse Task Forces, along with the sex crimes division of the prosecutor's office.

Following his internship he worked as law clerk for Judge Patricia Gifford in the Marion County Superior Courts criminal division.

Gifford was the presiding judge in the case of State of Indiana v. Mike Tyson. As her law clerk, he reviewed all motions filed with the court and prepared legal briefs, providing findings of fact and conclusions of law for the judge's review and approval.

Caruso, who grew up in New Jersey, received a bachelor's degree in English literature from the University of Tampa in 1984. He attended Saint Leo College in St. Leo, Fla., from 1980 to 1983. [[In-content Ad]]