Local attorney Travis McConnell announced on Wednesday that he is running for Kosciusko County prosecuting attorney in the November election.
The Democrat will go up against J. Brad Voelz, who ran unopposed in the Republican May primary. Voelz served the past five years as chief deputy to Prosecuting Attorney Dan Hampton, who did not seek re-election.
In his announcement, McConnell wrote, “As the fireworks lit up the sky during the celebration of our nation’s independence, I could not get the thought of victims being ignored out of my head. We all watched the courage of the several victims come forward in the aftermath of Bobi Gephart confronting John Lowe II. And this unfortunately is not the first time we have seen something like this happen in our community.
“What followed was not shocking but profoundly disappointing as someone who loves and believes in the law. When you make the law your profession – you believe it will stand on its own and deliver justice. As those stories tumbled forward and I looked at my young children during what should be the celebration of our nation’s founding of its own laws – I realized I had no choice.
“I cannot sit back and hear another story about how parents and children reported abuse in our community, and nothing was done. I cannot sit back while more victims are added to the damage this brings to our community.
“The campaign experts tell me this is the part where I am supposed to list all my credentials – about practicing law for over a decade in two states, how I built my own practice with several employees, how I’ve served on several nonprofit boards and the Sheriff Merit Board. That I have an amazing wife and two wonderful children. And while all of that is true – what you really need to know right now, is that I am ready to do what our prosecutor’s office has failed to do.
“I am ready to pursue justice for those who seek it from the legal system. I am ready to focus our resources. To stop prosecuting things like simple possession of less than one ounce of marijuana following Indianapolis Prosecutor Ryan Mears example. I am ready to focus those resources on serious crimes.
“I am ready to listen when victims report crimes – no matter who the accused are, where they work or how much money they have or give.
“I am ready. I am Travis McConnell and I am running for Kosciusko County prosecutor.”
In 2020, McConnell sought the Kosciusko County Commissioner seat for the middle district, losing to incumbent Cary Groninger. That same year, McConnell received the Young Adult Professional of the Year award during the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce annual awards ceremony.
