Peoria County officials have named a new state’s attorney.
Judge Jodi Hoos of the 10th Circuit Court was chosen to fill the vacancy left after former state’s attorney Jerry Brady died in June.
Hoos has sat on the bench for five years. She’s also been a prosecutor under the previous two state’s attorneys.
During that time, she worked more than 140 jury trials — at least 30 of which involved first-degree murder charges.
Hoos said she’ll have to wait to see what changes need to be made until she’s in the office. But she said both Brady and his predecessor, Kevin Lyons, led the state’s attorney’s office in a good direction.
“I’ve never been a fan of change for the sake of change,” she said. “But I’ve also never been a fan of ‘let’s do that because that’s what we’ve done for 50 years.’”
Hoos will be the first women to hold the position in Peoria County. She said she hopes her appointment will inspire young girls in their career goals.
“They can now see somebody in that role that has otherwise been dominated by men,” she said.
Peoria County Board Chairman Andrew Rand announced Hoos’ appointment at a press conference Monday morning. She is expected to be confirmed in a special board meeting Tuesday.
