DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced the appointment Wednesday of Dallas County Attorney Charles Sinnard to the position of district judge in Judicial Election District 5A.
Sinnard, a resident of Urbandale, was elected earlier this month to a second term as Dallas County Attorney, having previously served 18 years as an Assistant Dallas County Attorney. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa and law degree from the Drake University Law School.
The appointment fills the vacancy created by the upcoming retirement of District Court Judge Martha Mertz. Judicial Election District 5A includes Dallas, Guthrie, Jasper, Madison, Marion and Warren counties.
Sinnard’s elevation to the bench follows by a little more than one year the appointment of two other attorneys from the office of Dallas County Attorney to judgeships in the Fifth Judicial District, a testament to the prosecutorial prowess of the county’s legal team.
In September 2021 Stacy L. Ritchie of Adel was appointed a district court judge in Judicial Election District 5A, and Iowa City native Erica W. Crisp was appointed a district associate judge.
