Putnam County will have temporary successor as Prosecutor for 30 days – WV MetroNews

WINFIELD, W.Va. — A new Prosecuting Attorney was appointed by the Putnam County Commission to fill the vacant role but only for one month.

On Tuesday, the commission met and voted to appoint Thomas Kirk to be the temporary Prosecuting Attorney in Putnam County following the announced departure of longtime county prosecutor Mark Sorsaia, who’s leaving the position to join the state cabinet and become the new West Virginia Secretary of Homeland Security.

According to West Virginia code, when the Prosecuting Attorney position is vacant, either a temporary successor would be appointed and they would serve in the role for only 30 days, or someone would be selected to fully fill the vacancy and complete the term of Prosecuting Attorney which is for the rest of 2023 and all of 2024.

In this instance, the commission decided to go with Kirk to fill the vacancy on a temporary basis. Putnam County Commission President Andy Skidmore said he preferred to have a temporary successor and then take the time to accept applications and conduct interviews for the next full-time county prosecutor.

“I don’t think we’re gonna give you anybody that’s not going to be able to fill the role for the next year and four months,” Skidmore said.

Sorsaia is reportedly taking the oath of office to join the state cabinet August 1. On that date is when Kirk would step into the role and begin his 30 days as the temporary Putnam County Prosecuting Attorney.

Kirk has a long history in various roles in the state. He’s a former homeland security advisor to Governor Jim Justice and spent time as superintendent of the West Virginia State Police. He’s the founder and first commander of its Bureau of Criminal Investigations. Kirk was also the first deputy secretary of the department when it was Military Affairs and Public Safety, and is the creator of the West Virginia Intelligence Exchange (WVIX) at the State Police.

Kirk has previously served as a special assistant U.S. Attorney, an assistant state prosecutor, and a corporate manager for Toyota. He’s also on the executive board of the National Fusion Center Association.

According to the commission, the permanent prosecutor that will be chosen must come from the same political party as Sorsaia.

“We have a lot of people with a lot of experience that have done a lot of good for Putnam County,” Skidmore said about potential candidates.

Two commission meetings are planned next month for August 8 and August 29. Skidmore said they hope to have candidates in attendance for the first meeting in August with any additional interviews with candidates happening at the latter meeting.

After voting to approve Kirk to be the temporary successor, the commission also approved the format on how they would choose the eventual full-time county prosecutor.