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Tom Keith to retire as Forsyth County DA on Nov. 30
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Forsyth County District Attorney Tom Keith
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Published: November 17, 2009
Updated: 11/17/2009 04:39 pm
Forsyth County District Attorney Tom Keith announced this afternoon that he would retire as of Nov. 30, leaving office 11 months before his current four-year term expires.
Keith, who turned 65 in June, is serving his fifth term of office. He said he was leaving early to pursue several law-enforcement related and crime-prevention projects that require more time than he is able to provide now.
Also today, Gov. Bev Perdue announced that longtime Assistant District Attorney Jim O'Neill will fill the remainer of Keith's term. O'Neill had previously announced plans to run for Keith's seat when he retired.
"Jim O'Neill has the respect and confidence of the public, law enforcement and attorneys in the Twenty-First District," Perdue said in a statement. "The citizens of Forsyth County should have every confidence that justice will be administered fairly by District Attorney O'Neill."
In stepping down, Keith cited several projects he hoped to accomplish in particular, including: securing permanent funding for the domestic violence program he established called Safe on Seven; establishing a local forensic crime lab for DNA to be used in the Zero Armed Perpetrators, or ZAP program he has championed; and continuing his efforts to find ways to keep young people out of the criminal justice system.
"When I turned 65, I realized that there were still a number of projects I wanted to get off the ground over the next few years," Keith says. "I have been interested in doing more direct work in the community, but the time required to perform the duties of this office have limited my ability to do so."
O'Neill has been an assistant district attorney since 1997. He is the office's chief prosecutor for sex offender registry violations, and motor vehicle fatalities.
He also is a legal advisor to law enforcement for first-degree murder cases and was the first dedicated domestic violence prosecutor in Forsyth County.
O'Neill also is active in the community, serving as the head coach of the varsity men's lacrosse team at R.J. Reynolds High School and as a board member of several organizations.
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