Beau Oglesby Takes Office As State's Attorney for Worcester County

SNOW HILL – State’s Attorney Beau Oglesby was sworn into office Monday in front of a crowd of officials, friends and family.

“It’s no secret why Beau has ascended,” said Wicomico County Sheriff Mike Lewis, who worked with Oglesby when he was a prosecutor for Wicomico County.

Lewis pointed out the great working relationship Oglesby had with law enforcement

“I could quickly see that he’s what most law enforcement officers call a ‘masterful prosecutor,’” said Lewis. “I’m so, so proud to stand here today…it’s a great day for law enforcement and a great day for justice.”

Caroline County Circuit Court Judge Karen Jensen also opted to give Oglesby a few words of introduction. Jensen spoke of Oglesby’s time serving in Caroline as an assistant State’s Attorney, calling him a “fierce and able advocate.” She informed him that he would be coming into a lot of power in his office, which carried an equivalent amount of responsibility. Finally, she thanked him on behalf of Caroline County and forecasted a bright future for Worcester with Oglesby’s transition.

“You can’t imagine the journey this has been,” said Oglesby after being introduced. “I’ve been through a lawsuit … lost an election by 14 votes … turned it around this time and won by 93.”

Oglesby went on to thank everyone that supported him, especially his family, who joined him during the swearing in.

“I look around the room and I’m so overwhelmed,” he said.

Joking that at least part of his introduction was wrong, Oglesby admitted to not being as organized as Jansen had claimed him to be.

“I’ve prepared some comments, they’re around here somewhere,” he said.

Choosing to speak from memory instead, Oglesby offered a special thanks to the members of law enforcement in attendance.

“You make me want to be a better prosecutor each and every day,” he said. “I can’t imagine you [the police] doing the job halfway and seeing someone fall down on the other half.”

Oglesby also spoke about his life growing up.

“Mom was judge and jury, dad was the executioner,” he said.

Despite the light attitude, Oglesby stressed that his family life helped him learn values.

“There’s right and wrong. There’s black and white. But there’s also an area of gray,” he said.

Finally, he took a moment to address his own family, telling his children that he would still be busy even after the campaign, but promising them, “it won’t take me as long to get home.”

Oglesby then thanked his wife for her support. The whole experience managed to choke Oglesby up toward the end of his speech.

“This is the first time I’ve cried in court,” he said.

Lewis joked, “It won’t be the last in this county.”

Oglesby concluded by once again thanking everyone who supported him.
“God bless you and God bless Worcester County,” he said.

www.mdcoastdispatch.com

Beau Oglesby Sworn Into Office As State's Attorney For Worcester County

Beau Oglesby's wife and children flanked him as Circuit Court Clerk Stephen Hales administered the oath of office, swearing him in as Worcester County's state's attorney.

When Hales asked Oglesby to raise his right hand, his daughter, Georgia, 6, and son, Evan, 4, standing at his feet, also obliged.

Once he was sworn in, his wife, Anne, handed him a new prosecutor's badge. He held it high over his head and beamed.

Oglesby pledged to be passionate and courageous and to make the State's Attorney's Office better than it is today.

"You can't imagine the journey that this has been," he said. "This campaign was never easy; we never thought it was going to be easy. We're very proud to be standing here."

It was standing-room-only for the dozens of law enforcement officers, elected officials, well-wishers and other attendees in the main courtroom at the historic Worcester County Courthouse.

Oglesby told them that, growing up, "My mom was judge and jury and my dad was executioner" -- but his father's punishments always fit the crime. He hopes to bring a similar fair and even-handed attitude to his new job.

Friends in Ocean Pines first approached Oglesby to run for state's attorney in 2001 as a Republican. He lost by 14 votes to incumbent Joel Todd, a Democrat, in the 2006 race.

In their November 2010 rematch, Todd lost by 93 votes in a race that again came down to absentee ballots. He has since been hired as an assistant prosecutor for Wicomico County. Todd did not attend the swearing-in.

During the campaign, Oglesby had the unanimous backing of county law enforcement agencies, the chiefs of which all attended in full dress uniform. He thanked them specifically for their support.

"You make me want to be a better prosecutor each and every day," he said. "I do what I do because of you. I will always do my best for you."

Seated at the courtroom tables, Oglesby's family was to his left, and to his right sat Sheriff Mike Lewis of Wicomico County. They first met in 1997 while Oglesby was an assistant state's attorney in Wicomico County and have fostered a friendship between families so close that Lewis' wife, a nurse, delivered both the Oglesby's children.

Lewis said he's watched Oglesby grow in his career into a "masterful prosecutor."

"It's no secret why Beau Oglesby has ascended to where he is today," Lewis said. "I'm so, so proud to stand here today. People need to know Worcester County is in for a real treat. It's a great day for law enforcement and it's a great day for justice."

Oglesby has worked with Todd and his staff since the election, poring though hundreds of pending case files, preparing for his first day on the job. Among them are several homicide cases, including the Feb. 8 murder trial of Justin Michael Hadel, who stands accused of killing Delaware woman Christine Sheddy.

He has already made one personnel change to his office by replacing Deputy State's Attorney Mike Farlow with Cheryl Jacobs, a Baltimore city prosecutor.

"We've been waiting eight years for this," said Terry Pinnix, an Oglesby campaign supporter. "This time, we just shook a lot more hands."

www.delmarvanow.com

Ceremonies Take Place This Morning In Snow Hill

Sheriff-elect Reggie T. Mason will be sworn in today as the Sheriff of Worcester County by The Honorable Stephen Hales, Clerk of the Circuit Court for Worcester County.

Following the swearing in of Sheriff-Elect Mason, John Dale Smack III will be sworn in as the Chief Deputy of the Sheriff's Office, followed by the swearing in of the Deputies of the Sheriff's Office.

The ceremonies will be held today, Monday, December 6, 2010 in the County Commissioner' Meeting Room, County Government Center in Snow Hill, Maryland.

Snow Hill will be bustling today with activity.

I'm sure Worcester County citizens are looking forward to the changes that can only make Worcester County an even greater place to live.

CONGRATULATIONS AND GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF YOU!