John Pettit (attorney) explained

John Pettit (July 13, 1935 – October 30, 2010) was a long-time District Attorney of Washington County, Pennsylvania.[1] He attended Washington High School, the University of Pennsylvania, and The Dickinson School of Law.

He and Judge Paul Pozonsky founded the county's first drug treatment court in 2004.[2] He was criticized for using jailhouse informants during his 24-year-long tenure as district attorney, leading to a murder conviction being overturned. At the time of the 2007 defeat for re-election, losing to Steven Toprani, he was being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and a grand jury for preferential treatment to friends and political supporters as district attorney. Ultimately, he was never indicted.

Notes and References

  1. News: Schackner . Bill . Obituary: John C. Pettit / Former longtime Washington County district attorney . . October 31, 2010 . May 28, 2013.
  2. News: Jones . Mike . Pozonsky’s judicial career filled with accolades, Controversy . . May 23, 2013 . May 28, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140112054356/http://www.observer-reporter.com/article/20130523/NEWS01/130529665 . January 12, 2014 . dead .