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A hearing Monday afternoon led to the hiring of a special prosecutor to settle a dispute between the Kosciusko County Prosecutor's Office and a county Superior Court judge.
Superior Court 2 Judge James Jarrette shifted $10,000 from the jury expenses fund to the court's prosecution budget to cover the costs of the special prosecutor.
During the hearing, county prosecutors were removed from 18 misdemeanor probation violation cases after Jarrette denied Kosciusko County Prosecutor Steve Hearn's motion to have a new judge appointed to the cases.
The dispute began during a probation violation case in April and continued until Monday's hearing.
Jarrette handles misdemeanor cases in Superior Court 2, and Hearn and the prosecutor's office handle hearings in Kosciusko Superior and Circuit courts.
A retired prosecutor from Miami County is expected to fill the position of special prosecutor.
