Ken Egbert, Jr. has served as a prosecuting attorney in the Office of the Seneca County Prosecuting Attorney for more than 17 years. In 1989, Mr. Egbert was hired as the first full-time assistant county prosecutor to handle the prosecution of felony cases, with legal responsibilities in the common pleas and appellate level courts. Since becoming a county prosecutor, Ken has worked first and foremost for the citizens of Seneca County in fighting crime and seeking justice for victims, having prosecuted more than 1,000 felony cases, including murder, rape, robbery, burglary, and drug trafficking crimes and also saving thousands of dollars in local taxpayers’ money. Ken’s background with the county, education, and considerable felony court trial experience led to his appointment as Seneca County Prosecuting Attorney in January, 1999. Mr. Egbert, who is the only elected prosecutor in the county under Ohio law, was elected in countywide general elections to serve four year terms as Seneca County Prosecutor in November, 2000 and in November, 2004.

Mr. Egbert is a sixth generation native of Seneca County and graduated cum laude from Tiffin Columbian High School, Class of 1982. With a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in History and a minor in Political Science, Ken received the President’s Scholarship Recognition Award and graduated cum laude from The Ohio State University in 1986. Ken returned to Northwest Ohio to attend the University of Toledo College of Law. He received his Juris Doctor degree in 1989, having worked as a law student in the Prosecutor Clinic trying cases as a certified legal intern in Perrysburg Municipal Court, as a legal research assistant at the Sixth District Ohio Court of Appeals in Toledo, and also served as a legal advisor intern for the Judge Advocate General's Corps (JAG) of the United States Army, assigned to the National Guard Bureau at The Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

Upon graduation from law school, Mr. Egbert returned to his hometown, serving as a full-time assistant prosecutor handling felony cases and assigned to the Seneca County Drug Task Force. During his service as an assistant, Mr. Egbert prosecuted to conviction the largest number of felony cases handled at the county prosecutor’s office, including the largest cocaine and marijuana seizures in the history of Seneca County law enforcement, and was the first prosecutor in Seneca County to present DNA evidence in court for local rape prosecutions, which led to multiple convictions of a serial rapist, who continues to serve a 15 to 135 year sentence in state prison. Mr. Egbert also led efforts with our local drug task force to increase the number of felony prosecutions of street level drug dealers who poison our communities with the distribution of illegal drugs. Mr. Egbert initiated a criminal forfeiture program in cooperation with local law enforcement officers to seize and forfeit drug proceeds and criminal tools used in the drug trade, such as cash, vehicles, and other property, resulting in more than $300,000 of new revenue to the county. These new funds have been used at a savings to county taxpayers for county law enforcement membership in the METRICH regional drug task force, law enforcement training, and the purchase of crime fighting and drug detection equipment, including a drug sniffing canine unit, all at a savings to county taxpayers.

As Seneca County Prosecutor, Mr. Egbert remains active in fighting crime, focusing on felony crimes committed against vulnerable victims such as children and senior citizens. Mr. Egbert is a member of the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Seneca County Child Fatality Review Board. He also continues to believe many felonies committed in our communities are drug-related crimes and is committed to increased emphasis on local drug enforcement efforts, serving on the control board of the Seneca County Drug Task Force-METRICH Enforcement Unit and assisting in the creation of the tri-county Zero Tolerance Task Force in Fostoria. Mr. Egbert is also a member of the Seneca County Community Corrections Board and has continued to save thousands of dollars in county taxpayer money by securing state grants through the Ohio Attorney General’s Office to fund salaries for all five victim advocates assigned in various courts in Seneca County to assist victims of crime and to purchase new computer programming systems to assist local law enforcement in tracking felony case convictions.

Mr. Egbert is active professionally in the Ohio Prosecuting Attorney’s Association, having served on the Legislative Committee, and is a member of the National District Attorneys Association, Ohio State Bar Association, Ohio Jury Management Association, and Seneca County Township Association. He is licensed to practice law before all of the Courts in Ohio, including the Third District Court of Appeals and the Ohio Supreme Court. He is also certified to argue cases before the United States District Court, Northern District of Ohio and the Supreme Court of the United States. Mr. Egbert is a faculty member of the National College of District Attorneys and has taught other prosecutors at the National Advocacy Center, where local and federal prosecutors receive practical legal training in the courtroom. Also, he has been an instructor for local police officer training, has spoken to students at Heidelberg College, Tiffin University, The People’s Law School, and area high schools along with community groups such as Neighborhood Block Watch and area landlord associations about crime and the criminal justice system, and has sponsored local seminars on topics such as public records and open meetings law.

Mr. Egbert and his wife, Dawn, have two daughters and enjoy their home in Tiffin, Ohio. He puts a priority on his family life and the role families play in a community’s overall health. Mr. Egbert is a member of several community organizations including: Kiwanis Club of Tiffin, Tiffin Community YMCA, League of Women Voters, and Tiffin Shrine Club. He has contributed to local youth organizations, including regular support of the Seneca County Junior Fair and the Junior Fair Livestock/Small Animal Auction. Mr. Egbert also has served previously in an elected capacity as Vice-Chairman of the 1990 Tiffin Charter Review Commission, and on various boards of trustees in the community: First Step Domestic Violence; Ritz Theatre; Tiffin Community YMCA; and Tiffin-Seneca Heritage Festival. Mr. Egbert and his family are members of First Lutheran Church of Tiffin, where he has served on various church committees such as the Pastoral Call, the Constitution, the After-the-Game Youth Dance, and the Atlanta ELCA Youth Gathering committees.

Mr. Egbert thanks his staff for their dedication in assisting him in carrying out the office mission of fighting crime in our communities in Seneca County, seeking justice for crime victims, and providing effective legal advice for local county and township public officials. He also thanks you for taking the time on the web site to read and learn more about the duties of the Seneca County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and encourages you to contact the county prosecutor’s office with questions, comments, or concerns. Click here to send your questions, comments, or concerns to Mr. Egbert.