ST. CHARLES COUNTY — In a surprise move, St. Charles County Prosecutor Tim Lohmar announced Thursday he was resigning, less than five months after he was reelected to another four-year term.
Lohmar, in a news release, said he and his family decided several months ago he “could no longer give this job the energy and attention it requires and still have time for my family and for my own health and well-being.â€
“Inevitably, there will be questions about my decision and about its timing mid-term,†said Lohmar, 49. “Let me answer them this way: this is not a sudden decision or an easy one. The job of prosecuting attorney is rewarding, challenging, and at times grueling.â€
The news release announcing the resignation said Lohmar, who has been prosecutor since 2012 and an associate circuit judge before that, would not take questions from the news media. The release was issued by the county government at Lohmar’s request and not by his own office.
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Under the county charter, County Executive Steve Ehlmann, a fellow Republican, will name a successor who must be approved by the St. Charles County Council.
Ehlmann said in an interview that Lohmar had told him a month or so ago about his intention to resign and that he planned to go into private law practice. Ehlmann said he cited no other reasons.
“If there are other reasons he’s resigning, he hasn’t shared them with me,†Ehlmann said.
Ehlmann said he had appointed Jennifer Bartlett, an assistant prosecutor on Lohmar’s staff and a former Warren County prosecutor, as acting prosecutor. She was to take over when Lohmar’s resignation took effect at 5 p.m. He said Bartlett is not seeking the permanent position.
Lohmar in his statement gave no indication that his decision was related to controversy over his arrest last summer on suspicion of DWI after he was stopped by Lake Ozark, Missouri, police.
No charges have ever been filed in the case. A case review hearing is set for Monday in Miller County to discuss whether Lohmar should be allowed to continue to drive until a potential DWI investigation is closed, charges are filed or the case is adjudicated.
In 2019, Lohmar faced an investigation by the Missouri Attorney General’s office into allegations he harassed his ex-girlfriend, St. Charles County Associate Circuit Judge Erin Burlison, after the two parted from a “lengthy, serious relationship.â€
Lohmar eventually issued a public apology, acknowledging his actions were “irresponsible.â€
In his time as prosecutor, Lohmar has been involved in a number of high-profile cases, including that of Pamela Hupp, who was sentenced to life in prison in 2019 for fatally shooting a mentally disabled man.
Lohmar also charged 61-year-old Earl W. Cox with first-degree murder in the death of 9-year-old Angie Houseman — a case that had gone cold for 25 years.
In August 2016, Lohmar was appointed as a special prosecutor in the case of now-state Sen. Steve Roberts of ºüÀêÊÓƵ, who had been accused of rape by the late Cora Faith Walker, who also was a state legislator at the time.
Lohmar , saying that there was not enough evidence to show that the sexual relations between the two people were not consensual.
Lohmar in his resignation statement cited the prosecution of Cox as one of his accomplishments. He also pointed to his establishment of a special victims unit to prosecute sexual offenders, child abusers and domestic abusers.
He also said he took a “zero-tolerance†approach to violent crime by seeking high bonds and mandatory prison terms for weapons offenses and gun violence. He also cited his office’s work with a police task force working to eradicate vehicle thefts and break-ins.
ºüÀêÊÓƵ County Prosecutor Wesley Bell, a Democrat, said his office and Lohmar’s office had worked very well together and that Lohmar several months ago had told him of his pending decision.
“From the very beginning, Tim has been nothing but supportive to myself and our office, and I wish him nothing but the best,†said Bell, who was first elected in 2018.
This is the second time Ehlmann will get to appoint his county’s prosecutor. That’s how Lohmar got the job in the first place in 2012 when he was named to succeed Jack Banas after Banas won election as a circuit judge.
Lohmar then ran for a full four-year term in 2014 and was reelected in 2018 and last year. No one ran against him in any of those races.
Ehlmann said he is accepting applications for the position until 6 p.m. Wednesday and will set up interviews of potential candidates. He said among those expressing interest in succeeding Lohmar has been a female judge but he didn’t identify her.
Under the charter, whoever is appointed would have to run in elections next year to continue in office for the rest of Lohmar’s four-year term.
Joe Holleman and Katie Kull of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
Updated at 3:55 p.m.