ATHENS COUNTY, Ohio — Pickaway County Prosecutor Jayme Hartley Fountain will join the Ohio Fourth District Court of Appeals, following an easy victory Tuesday night over Athens Municipal Court Judge Todd L. Grace.
“I’m honored to have been chosen by the voters in the southeastern counties,” Fountain told the Independent Wednesday afternoon. “I’m looking forward to taking the bench and getting started and getting cases out there.”
Fountain, the Republican candidate, will fill the seat vacated by Judge Peter B. Abele, following his death in September.
Fountain captured 64% of the overall vote, per unofficial results from 14 election boards. The appeals race received nearly 200,000 votes.
Both candidates won their home counties, with Judge Grace tallying two-thirds of the vote in Athens County. But Fountain won handily against her Democratic challenger in the district that includes 14 counties across Southeast Ohio.
In an email Wednesday night, Judge Grace thanked the Athens County community and congratulated Fountain.
“Thank you everyone for all the support through the election cycle, and the overwhelming support in Athens County really means a lot!” Judge Grace told the Independent.
