Fairfield County Prosecuting Attorney located in downtown Lancaster, Ohio.

Juvenile Division

newsletter: Winter 2013

The operations of the Juvenile Division involve two distinctly different types of cases. They are juvenile delinquency and unruly prosecutions, and Children Services protective custody cases.

In the first type of cases, the prosecutors in juvenile prosecutions focus on delinquent and unruly behavior of children. This behavior can range from school truancy and traffic citations to homicide. The emphasis of these cases is insuring the safety of the community and fashioning sentences for juveniles that will correct their offending behavior. Serious offenders require separation from the community in facilities such as the multi-county juvenile detention center at the Liberty Center in Lancaster or institutions of the Ohio Department of Youth Services during rehabilitation. The Fairfield County Juvenile Court has many and varied programs to provide offending juveniles with the necessary skills to lead a law-abiding and productive life.

Children Services protective custody cases involve legal proceedings to secure the safety and welfare of abused, neglected and dependent children in Fairfield County. The Juvenile Division prosecutors work in conjunction with Fairfield County Children Services and the Fairfield County Juvenile Court so that these children can be given a full range of services, from medical attention to foster care, while receiving the protection of the Court. This Division also seeks permanent legal custody of children, frequently with the consent of the natural parents, so that they can be placed for adoption.

Attorneys: Juvenile

Julie Blaisdell, Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney
Serving Fairfield County since 1992
Julie Blaisdell has been assistant prosecuting attorney since 1992. She was appointed to the position of Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney of the Juvenile Division in 2012. In addition to representing the Fairfield County Child Protective Services Agency, she oversees the staff of juvenile prosecutors. Julie obtained her undergraduate degree from The Ohio State University and obtained her Juris Doctor from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.

Lori Thomson
serving Fairfield County since 2009
Lori Thomson has been an assistant prosecuting attorney since 2009. Her primary area of practice is juvenile prosecution for which she works with parents, county schools, and the court to address juvenile delinquency behavior from traffic to felony level offenses. Lori also assists in the preparation and prosecution of physical child abuse.
Lori obtained her undergraduate degree in Business Administration from The Ohio State University in 2005 and obtained her Juris Doctor from the Capital Law School in 2009.

Investigator Dave Kessler
serving Fairfield County since 2008
Dave is a retired Commander of the financial crimes unit of the Dekalb County Police Department in Decatur, Georgia. Dave also served as the Chief Investigator for the Ohio Attorney General from 2000-2008. He has been a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners since 1996. Dave assists both Fairfield County Job and Family Services and the Fairfield Count Prosecutor office by investigating financial and fraud crimes against JFS and adult felonies as well. In 2011, Dave investigated and testified in the largest fraud scheme against JFS in which the defendants ultimately pled guilty, and were ordered to make restitution to the County.

Investigator Scott Hargrove
serving Fairfield County for more than 20 years
Scott is a retired Fairfield County Sheriff’s Deputy who served in the K-9 unit, SERT/SWAT team, and was a Detective for 15 years before retiring and joining our office. Scott assists prosecutors and local law enforcement agencies with additional investigative needs that arise during the prosecution of the case.

Zoe Lamberson
Serving Fairfield County since 2012
Zoe joined the office in 2012 and focuses on both adult felony and juvenile prosecution. Zoe was selected from numerous applications conduct her post-graduate fellowship in our office. Zoe received her undergraduate degree from Wittenberg University and her Juris Doctor from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.