Weddle Appointed To District Attorney Post

JACKSON—Gov. Phil Bryant has appointed John Weddle as District Attorney for the 1st Circuit Court District. The district includes Alcorn, Itawamba, Lee, Monroe, Pontotoc, Prentiss and Tishomingo counties. Weddle will fill the unexpired term of Trent Kelly, who was recently elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

“I am very pleased to appoint John to this position,” Gov. Bryant said. “He is a tough and experienced prosecutor who has a demonstrated history of serving the region with integrity, and I am confident he will continue to dedicate himself to the people of North Mississippi.”

Prior to his appointment as district attorney, Weddle served as assistant district attorney for the 1st District for more than three years. In addition to his prosecutorial duties in that position, he oversaw the Special Victim’s Task Force, which focuses on cases where victims are women or children.

He served as municipal court judge in Tupelo from January of 2002 to December of 2011 and as Lee County public defender from 1998 to 2002. He has practiced law in the 1st Circuit Court District for more than 20 years, including 16 years in private practice. Weddle also worked as a civil forfeiture attorney for the North Mississippi Narcotics Unit, a drug enforcement task force made up of deputies and police officers from five northeast Mississippi counties, in 2005 and 2009.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Mississippi State University and earned his juris doctor degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law.

“I am grateful to Gov. Bryant for this appointment, and I am honored by the opportunity to serve the people of the 1st Circuit Court District as district attorney,” Weddle said. “I take the trust the public places in me to prosecute crime and protect public safety very seriously, and I pledge to work hard on behalf of the people of this district.”

Weddle is a member of Belden Baptist Church and serves as chairman of the church’s deacons. He and his wife Karen have been married for 25 years. The Weddles have two children, Andrew and Anna Grace.