Brent Robinson is retaining his position as the Richland County Common Pleas Judge. Robinson finished at the polls with 64.54 percent of the votes and Democrat challenger Phil Naumoff, who serves as the Mansfield Municipal Court magistrate, received 35.46 percent of the votes, according to the unofficial results released by the Richland County Board of Elections.
Robinson was sworn in as Common Pleas Judge in February of this year when former Common Pleas Judge James Henson retired. He will continue to serve the remainder of Henson’s unexpired term that ends Jan. 1, 2017.
“I am very appreciative of [the voters’] support. This was a long, long time in coming. We started working way back in May getting ready to go, so I really appreciate the support. I want to thank all the people who helped me—my family was tremendous, all my friends that got involved and we did every event we could think of.”
Although he didn’t enjoy the fundraising aspect of his campaign, he shared that he enjoyed meeting the people of Richland County.
One of his goals as judge, he said, is furthering the success of the county Drug Court that was founded by Henson. “I want to continue his Drug Court and make it even more successful. As I’ve said before, I’m interested in the medically-assisted treatment options if it’s physician-based and the person is the right candidate.”
Above all, he said, “I want to continue to keep the citizens of Richland County safe. That’s my number one job as a judge is to keep the community safe, but I also understand justice includes sometimes mercy, sometimes it doesn’t. It depends on what you did.”
Robinson received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Otterbein College and earned his Juris Doctorate from Capital University Law School. He has served as First Assistant Prosecuting Attorney in the Richland County Prosecutor’s Office since 2006.
Robinson previously served as Chief Criminal Assistant Prosecuting Attorney in the Richland County Prosecutor’s Office, Criminal Assistant Prosecuting Attorney in the Richland County Court of Common Pleas, and as Juvenile Assistant Prosecuting Attorney in the Richland County Juvenile Court.
His trial experience includes the prosecution of 63 felony jury trials, an overall jury trial conviction rate of 95 percent, a 100 percent jury trial conviction rate in murder cases, and 19 years of jury trial and litigation experience. He received the 2010 MADD appreciation award and was given an award of appreciation by the United States Marshals Service Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force for his legal advice and support of the mission to remove violent fugitives from the streets of Richland County from 2009-2013.
For a complete listing of the election results, visit the Richland County Board of Elections website.
