Judge rules: Waller not soft on crime

I am a retired Circuit Court judge in Lake County, having served almost 22 years. For 16 of those years, I sat in the felony division and heard the most significant criminal cases, including sexual abuse and assault charges. In my experience, there is no basis to accuse Mr. Waller and his office of being soft in the prosecution of these crimes. In fact, the prosecutors from his office were prepared, bright and unrelenting in asking for convictions and the strictest of sentences. The comments from Mr. Jacobs and Ms. Rotheimer are political rhetoric at its worst, apparently intended to instill fear and loathing in the casual reader. We have heard too much of that at the national level in the past several years. It is shameless and ought not be tolerated.

And I am not a loyal Republican. I more often than not support the candidate who has exhibited integrity and reasoned judgment. In this case, it is Michael Waller and not his vocal opponents.

Stephen Walter

Fremont Township