Jefferson council appoints outside substitute municipal judge after DA referral; public speaker urges broader inquiry

Jefferson’s City Council voted to appoint the law offices of Ryan Henry, PLLC, and attorney Ryan Henry as a substitute municipal judge to preside over a municipal case after the sitting municipal judge recused herself.

City Attorney George Hyde told the council that the district attorney had reviewed the matter and returned it to municipal court because it did not meet the county prosecutor’s threshold for felony charges. Hyde said the judge’s recusal made a neutral, out-of-town substitute necessary: “I am the chief legal officer for the city,” Hyde said, and “I will be personally prosecuting the case because I’m also from out of town,” so the city can avoid local relationships that might create the appearance of bias.

During public testimony, Jeff Sofich urged the council to investigate more thoroughly and asked the council to be transparent on how the matter was handled. Sofich alleged that local relationships had affected how complaints were investigated and said council members had discussed matters with private citizens in ways he said had led to threats and other consequences for residents. “Just because Doug doesn’t like me, it’s not fair that he sits on the city council and goes after 1 person,” Sofich said, and asked councillors to vote publicly so the community could see how they stand.

Council members discussed limits on their authority: Hyde and other council members explained that a district attorney — an independently elected official — ultimately determines which cases to prosecute at the county level, and that municipal court handles fines and class‑C misdemeanor matters within its jurisdiction. Council members also noted that the municipal court’s jurisdiction for this charge is limited to a fine-only offense under local law.

A motion to appoint the substitute municipal judge passed (motion by Doug; second by April). The vote was recorded in the meeting as five in favor, zero opposed, and one abstention.

The council’s action installs an out-of-town judge to hear the municipal case when the recused judge is unavailable or in that particular matter. The city attorney said the substitute judge arrangement has no standing retainer fee and is billed only when the judge is used. The council did not take additional public action tonight to open a separate, independent investigation into the allegations raised during public testimony.

What happens next: the substitute municipal judge is available to preside over the municipal matter when required. The district attorney remains the official authority on county‑level felony prosecution; council discussion indicated no immediate change to that division of responsibility.