The city of Arnold has hired former Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney Forrest Wegge to serve as a Municipal Court judge.
Wegge will only act as the judge when the city’s primary municipal judge, Stephen “Todd” Hamby, is not available.
Forrest Wegge
City Administrator Bryan Richison said Hamby is paid $700 for each court session, and Wegge will be paid the same.
Wegge’s appointment will begin on Dec. 1 and will be renewed automatically every year, unless council members terminate the agreement.
“We have looked at the court and made some changes, and one of the things that popped up was we don’t have a backup judge,” Richison said. “It has never really become an issue, but it is something that once we became aware of it, it was like, ‘We ought to take care of this.’”
Richison said Allison Sweeney, who is an attorney for the city and handles prosecution of code enforcement cases in Arnold Municipal Court, suggested Wegge for the second Municipal Court judge position.
Wegge was the county’s prosecuting attorney from 2007 to 2018. After deciding not to run for a fourth four-year term, he went into private practice.
“I think his resume as the prosecuting attorney and being in private practice since leaving the office shows he has a wide variety of experience both prosecuting and defense,” Richison said. “I think he is very well rounded, and that is a good attribute in a judge. They need to consider all of the facts.
“He has been in court himself. He has a lot of experience of how courtrooms run well and how they don’t. If we do need him, I think he will be able to step in with no problem.”
Arnold Municipal Court is typically held at 7 p.m. on the first, second and fourth Mondays of each month. Court is held at City Hall, 2101 Jeffco Blvd.
County Council members voted 6-0 on Nov. 16 to appoint Wegge to the job. Ward 1 Councilman EJ Fleischmann and Ward 4 Councilman Butch Cooley were absent from the meeting.