23 October 2023
DULUTH A veteran prosecutor has been tapped to help lead the St. Louis County Attorney’s Office.
Jon Holets was recently promoted to the newly created position of deputy county attorney. Serving under elected County Attorney Kim Maki, he will assist in the supervision of all aspects of the agency, which includes six divisions across four office locations.
“Jon has been a valued member of our office for many years,” Maki said in a statement Monday. “In that time, he has successfully handled numerous difficult cases, developed complex office policies and mentored several new attorneys. He is well-liked and well-regarded both in the office and the community. With the breadth and depth of his knowledge and experience, he will be an integral member of our leadership team.”
Holets, a Hermantown native, is a 2008 graduate of Hamline University School of Law. He served stints as a law clerk to Judge Mark Munger and as an assistant Douglas County district attorney before joining St. Louis County in March 2011.
As a prosecutor, Holets has handled many high-profile cases, from the Last Place on Earth head shop to the 1986 Chisholm cold-case murder of Nancy Daugherty. He is also deputized as a special assistant U.S. attorney, allowing him to assist in federal prosecutions, and he teaches in the political science department at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
Holets, 41, also a board member at First Witness Child Advocacy Center, has received a number of honors and awards over the years, particularly for his work with domestic and sexual assault survivors.
The county attorney’s office prosecutes adult and juvenile offenses, represents the county and its departments in civil lawsuits and other legal services, and handles an array of other cases including child protection, child support and civil commitment for mental health or chemical dependency treatment.
The agency is divided into several divisions: Duluth criminal, Iron Range criminal, civil, public health and human services, victim-witness services, and administrative and support staff. Each sector is led by a division head.
Assistant county attorneys hired
In other staffing news, Maki announced two new assistant county attorneys who will serve as Duluth-based prosecutors.
Duluth native Claire Klein is a 2017 graduate of the University of St. Thomas School of Law. She served as a clerk to Judge Dale Harris and worked as a prosecutor and public health and human services attorney for Carlton County.
Courtney Beck, a native of Huron, South Dakota, is a 2018 graduate of Mitchell Hamline School of Law. She clerked for Judge Sally Tarnowski and Court of Appeals Judge Lucinda Jesson before working as an associate attorney at Johnson, Killen and Seiler in Duluth.
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