John Pettit (attorney)

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.[1]

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.[1] 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.[1] Ultimately, he was never indicted.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d e Schackner, Bill (October 31, 2010). "Obituary: John C. Pettit / Former longtime Washington County district attorney". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
  2. ^ Jones, Mike (May 23, 2013). "Pozonsky's judicial career filled with accolades, Controversy". Observer-Reporter. Archived from the original on January 12, 2014. Retrieved May 28, 2013.