Kolbe Goes Part-Time
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Kosciusko County Prosecutor David Kolbe announced today that he will serve the last year of his term as prosecutor working part- time.
Kolbe also announced at his monthly press conference that he will not seek re-election in November 1998.
He decided to go part-time beginning Jan. 1. He said he will return to his former private practice part-time as well.
Chief Deputy Prosecutor Byron Tinkey will take over more of the prosecuting responsibilities. Kolbe said Tinkey will run for the office in the next election with Kolbe's full endorsement.
Tinkey was the Kosciusko County small-claims referee for eight years and ran for judge of Superior Court 3 in the first election for the newly established court in 1996. He lost to Joe Sutton. Kolbe brought him into the prosecutor's office as deputy prosecutor in 1996.
Kolbe, a local attorney for 13 years before being elected, claimed during the election that his experience as a defense attorney made him qualified for the position.
In March of 1994 during his successful campaign, Kolbe said he would be a full-time prosecutor if he were elected and leave the Warsaw law firm he opened. He said at the time that he would be taking a 50 percent cut in pay. He also suggested that if the prosecutor's job was done properly, the deputy prosecutor's position could be reduced to part-time.
At today's conference he said, "There is still a lot of work to be done. I will still give my full commitment to the [prosecutor's] office."
Legally, there is no conflict between Kolbe's private practice and the prosecuting office.
"I have always planned to serve one term," Kolbe said. "I wanted to set new policies even though there has been resistance to change."
Kolbe has tried to follow through on campaign promises of cracking down on gambling, drunk driving and child-support offenders.
In the press conference, Kolbe pointed out he has filed 192 drunk driving felony charges in his 2-1/2 years as prosecutor. The previous 4-year term brought only 34 felonies for drunk driving.
Child support collections have also steadily increased under Kolbe. Kosciusko County ranked 31 out of 92 Indiana counties in child support increases this year.
Kolbe's tax-intercept program, in which the prosecutor intercepts tax refunds from those owing child support, has continued to be successful. In 1996, the office filed 555 cases and intercepted $4.1 million. In 1997, they filed 1,288 cases, gaining $8.1 million for children in Kosciusko County.
The check recovery program has grown under Kolbe to recover $273,000 in 1996 from bad checks in the county. He helped establish a home rule ordinance that allows the prosecutor to charge up to a $20 fee per bad check that is recovered. The fee goes directly into the county general fund and grew to $30,000 last year. [[In-content Ad]]
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Kosciusko County Prosecutor David Kolbe announced today that he will serve the last year of his term as prosecutor working part- time.
Kolbe also announced at his monthly press conference that he will not seek re-election in November 1998.
He decided to go part-time beginning Jan. 1. He said he will return to his former private practice part-time as well.
Chief Deputy Prosecutor Byron Tinkey will take over more of the prosecuting responsibilities. Kolbe said Tinkey will run for the office in the next election with Kolbe's full endorsement.
Tinkey was the Kosciusko County small-claims referee for eight years and ran for judge of Superior Court 3 in the first election for the newly established court in 1996. He lost to Joe Sutton. Kolbe brought him into the prosecutor's office as deputy prosecutor in 1996.
Kolbe, a local attorney for 13 years before being elected, claimed during the election that his experience as a defense attorney made him qualified for the position.
In March of 1994 during his successful campaign, Kolbe said he would be a full-time prosecutor if he were elected and leave the Warsaw law firm he opened. He said at the time that he would be taking a 50 percent cut in pay. He also suggested that if the prosecutor's job was done properly, the deputy prosecutor's position could be reduced to part-time.
At today's conference he said, "There is still a lot of work to be done. I will still give my full commitment to the [prosecutor's] office."
Legally, there is no conflict between Kolbe's private practice and the prosecuting office.
"I have always planned to serve one term," Kolbe said. "I wanted to set new policies even though there has been resistance to change."
Kolbe has tried to follow through on campaign promises of cracking down on gambling, drunk driving and child-support offenders.
In the press conference, Kolbe pointed out he has filed 192 drunk driving felony charges in his 2-1/2 years as prosecutor. The previous 4-year term brought only 34 felonies for drunk driving.
Child support collections have also steadily increased under Kolbe. Kosciusko County ranked 31 out of 92 Indiana counties in child support increases this year.
Kolbe's tax-intercept program, in which the prosecutor intercepts tax refunds from those owing child support, has continued to be successful. In 1996, the office filed 555 cases and intercepted $4.1 million. In 1997, they filed 1,288 cases, gaining $8.1 million for children in Kosciusko County.
The check recovery program has grown under Kolbe to recover $273,000 in 1996 from bad checks in the county. He helped establish a home rule ordinance that allows the prosecutor to charge up to a $20 fee per bad check that is recovered. The fee goes directly into the county general fund and grew to $30,000 last year. [[In-content Ad]]