It’s been a bitter race so far between St. Joseph County Democratic Probate Judge Jason Cichowicz and his Republican challenger, Loris Zappia, and it took another wild turn Thursday.
It started August 9 when Zappia allegedly hit and spat on his brother Len, who works under Cichowicz as a probate magistrate, in Len’s home.
Then Republicans launched attack ads blaming Cichowicz for a fatal shooting. The probate judge oversees juvenile justice, and prosecutors have charged an 18-year-old with murder, saying he committed the July 30 shooting after slipping away from juvenile probation staff during a trip to a South Bend Cubs game.
Then on Wednesday former South Bend Common Council member Henry Davis held a press conference with Republicans outside the Juvenile Justice Center to attack Cichowicz on another case: The Indiana Supreme Court a year ago suspending his law license for 45 days for, among other things, moving money from a client’s trust fund to the probate court without disclosing it.
Cichowicz served the suspension but he has denied the allegations. On Thursday he filed a defamation suit against Davis in St. Joseph Circuit Court. Specifically, the suit alleges Davis slandered Cichowicz during the press conference when he said he had “stole money” to give to the Juvenile Justice Center.
Davis declined WVPE’s interview request Thursday.
