ROSCOMMON COUNTY – Roscommon County has a new judge and prosecutor.
Prosecutor Mark Jernigan was appointed Roscommon County Probate Judge at a ceremony Nov. 9 in the Roscommon County Courtroom by Circuit Court Judge Robert W. Bennett.
Former Chief Assistant Prosecutor Mary Beebe was sworn in as Roscommon County Prosecutor by Chief Judge Richard Noble.
Although ceremonies to swear in the event are normally very formal, this was unlike the others. It was more like a celebration with attorneys and judges making tongue-in-cheek references to past cases.
Jernigan was pleased the event turned out like it did.
‘I’m glad it was like that. I’m not big on pomp and circumstance. I just like to do what you have to do to get things done, and get it done right,’ he said.
Jernigan and Scott Hess each applied for the position. Although it was a competitive slot, both were complimentary of each other and had lunch after the interviews before the Michigan Bar Association.
‘When I was leaving they told me to have a safe trip,’ Jernigan said. ‘I told them I couldn’t leave before I had lunch with Scott. They couldn’t figure out how a couple of country bumpkin lawyers, who were fighting hard for the same position, would meet with each other. We’ve been friends a long time and this one won’t change anything.’
Jernigan said the interview process was daunting.
‘They sit you down in a low, uncomfortable chair and you have 20 people, looking down on you from an elevated bench, and they all start firing questions.
‘I didn’t have any issues with the questions. Nothing caught me off guard. Goes back to being prepared and having done everything all along the same way.
He said most of the questions were about how he would handle the transition from prosecutor to probate judge. But one of the questions that came up had to do with any potential conflicts in his role as a Roscommon High School Football Coach.
‘I would hope that none of the guys I coached would come before me,’ he said. ‘And they asked me if I would be harder on them. I told them no, that everyone would be treated the same under the law. But that I hope anyone who I coached wouldn’t be happy to see me in court.’
Jernigan said the primary reason the probate position appealed to him was because unlike the recent circuit court opening, probate kept in in Roscommon County. He was born and raised in the county, and has been prosecutor for 16 years.
‘I never worked toward this,’ Jernigan said. ‘ I knew the potential was there for it to happen. But the probate court always appealed to me. Family is strong with me and I want to help kids and help families.’
Beebe has worked with the county since 1994. She and her husband, Dennis are both Roscommon graduates. Their children are Kalen, Ethan and Hee Jin Lim who came to them as a foreign exchange student eight years ago from South Korea and remains a part of the family.
She was named assistant prosecutor and victim’ rights advocate in June 2012.
Jernigan expects Beebe to be an excellent prosecutor.
‘It’ so hard to describe,’ she said. ‘I hoped it would happen, but didn’t really expect it to happen so quickly.
‘I’m really humbled by it. I love working for the county and to be able to continue to serve means a lot.’
She declined to tell any office stories about Jernigan, who she describes as easy going and ‘lively.’
‘He was a great boss,’ she said. ‘I was telling the probate court girls they will love working with him. We obviously, all know about his love for kids so there is no doubt in my mind he will do a great job. He will be fair and hold the kids accountable.’
Jake Collini will advance to the position of chief assistant prosecutor.
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