Former Cass Circuit Court Juvenile Referee to enter the race for Circuit Court Judge

Last Updated on October 5, 2017 by cassnetwork

Sheryl Pherson has announced her candidacy for Circuit Court Judge. Sheryl is a local attorney who began practicing general civil, divorce, probate and criminal defense law in 1994 with the law firm of Hanna, Small, Sabatini, Becker and Murray. Before practicing law, Sheryl was the White Circuit Court Reporter for 7 years, working days and attending college and law school at night. For the past 20 years, Sheryl has been a solo practitioner with an office in downtown Logansport.

In addition to the private practice of law, Sheryl has served the citizens of Cass County in various positions. She was appointed to the bench of the Cass Circuit Court as a Juvenile Referee by former Judge Ridlen, where she heard and determined juvenile cases at a time when there was a heavy caseload and only two courts in Cass County. Following her time on the bench, Sheryl served as a Cass County Deputy Prosecutor for 8 years, handling domestic violence cases in all three courts, as well as juvenile, paternity and child support cases in Circuit Court. As the Domestic Violence Deputy Prosecutor, Sheryl trained local law enforcement on domestic violence response, developed the investigative form still used by local law enforcement, worked closely with the Domestic Violence Task Force, and wrote and obtained the grant which enabled the Cass County Prosecutor to hire its first victim advocate and begin its victim assistance program. For several years, she represented both the Cass and Pulaski County Departments of Child Services, and was contracted with the State of Indiana as a consultant on juvenile placements using evidence-based practices.

“I decided to run for Circuit Court Judge because I genuinely care about people and believe that the justice system can make a difference. The Circuit Court handles a full civil caseload, one-half of the major felonies, children in need of services, adoptions, estates, guardianships, and juvenile delinquency cases. I have trial experience and have represented clients in all of those areas of law. I’m particularly interested in how the courts might be a part of addressing the drug crisis in Cass County. If elected, I would work with others in the justice system to explore the possibility of a problem solving court, such as a family drug dependency court. I think that my work ethic, as well as 23 years of experience, makes me the right choice for Circuit Court Judge.”

Sheryl is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Purdue University, and received her law degree from Indiana University, Indianapolis in 1994. She maintains a general civil, criminal and bankruptcy practice on Broadway in Logansport. She is on the board of Cass/Pulaski Community Corrections, and serves as Cass County’s Chief Public Defender.

SOURCE: News release from Sheryl Pherson