Two longtime local attorneys vie to become Jackson County prosecutor

By Tom Gantert Legal News For the first time in 10 years, Jackson County will have a new prosecutor as longtime Jackson area attorneys Jerry Jarzynka and Charles Perlos face off in the Nov. 6 election. Current Prosecutor Hank Zavislak announced he was not going to seek re-election. Zavislak, a Republican, was appointed prosecutor in 2002. Jarzynka, a Republican, and Perlos, a Democrat, are longtime fixtures in the area. Jarzynka is a Jackson County chief assistant prosecutor who has worked in the county for the last 26 years. Perlos has run a private practice for 27 years in Jackson. Charles Perlos A lifelong resident of Jackson County, Perlos graduated from Parkside High School and Western Michigan University before earning his law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School. He practiced law with this father, Alexander Perlos, who was appointed Jackson County Circuit Judge in 1986 and retired in 2002. Perlos said he has broad experience as an attorney through his private practice and has argued a case before the Michigan Supreme Court. "I've represented people from speeding tickets to murder," Perlos said. "I've been doing this for 27 years. I've run my own office. I know how to run my office. I don't raise my voice. I don't yell. I have an excellent work ethic. I'll be there and I'll be a working prosecutor. If I need to go in Saturday mornings, I'll go in Saturday mornings." "That office has an extreme amount of power to ruin people's lives," Perlos said. "I want to make sure everything is done in the spirit of the law so that at the end of the day, justice is done." Perlos said he would look hard at cases involving medical marijuana. He gave a hypothetical example of a postal carrier with a sore back and a medical marijuana card who could have THC in his system when cited for driving under the influence. "Should we jam him up, make him lose his job at the post office and jeopardize his pension? I don't know," Perlos said. "That's an example of something I want to look at so at the end of the day we are doing the right thing." Perlos has been endorsed by the Local 333 Plumbers & Fitters, the Michigan Building and Construction Trades Council, the United Auto Workers and retired 12th District Judge Lysle G. Hall. No other Democrats filed to run for prosecutor. Jerry Jarzynka Jarzynka has lived in Jackson County for 26 years. He graduated from the University of Toledo College of Law and became an assistant prosecutor for Jackson County in 1986. From 1990 to 1997, he was an assistant prosecutor for the city of Jackson and then returned to the Jackson County prosecutor's office. There are several things Jarzynka said he'd do as prosecutor. He said he's had a policy of not making deals with people who commit crimes while on parole. "They should be put back in prison," he said. Jarzynka said he would target criminals involved in gun violence and drug trafficking as well as predators who sexually abuse children. He said he'd also assign an assistant prosecutor to cases involving scam artists. "I have personally prosecuted several thousand cases and close to 200 jury trials," Jarzynka said. "We've seen some recent violent crimes with bank robberies. You are dealing with an upsurge in violent crime in Jackson. Violent criminals need to be in prison. Sexual predators need to be in prison." Jarzynka has been endorsed by several law enforcement organizations including the City of Jackson Police Union, The Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 70, the Jackson County Sheriff's Department Command Officers Association, the Jackson County Sheriff's Department Road Deputies Association, the Blackman-Leoni Township Police Officers Association, the Blackman-Leoni Township Command Officers Association, the Michigan Association of Police Organizations as well as the police chief's from Spring Arbor Township, Springport Township and Waterloo Township. Jarzynka won the Republican primary against local attorneys Allison Bates and Craig Pappin. Published: Mon, Oct 22, 2012

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