(COLUMBUS, Ohio)-Ohio Governor Mike DeWine today announced the appointment of Keith Washburn to the Chillicothe Municipal Court.

Washburn, of Chillicothe, will assume office on February 3, 2025, and will be taking the seat formerly held by Judge Toni Eddy, who retired. He will serve the remainder of the unfinished term and will need to run for election in November 2025 to retain the seat.

Washburn began his law career in 2018 as a practicing attorney and the owner of Washburn Law Office, which he continues to own and practice law at. From May 2020 to October 2020, he served as an assistant prosecuting attorney for the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office. Since September 2020, he has worked as a staff attorney for the Fraternal Order of Police Ohio Labor Council.

Washburn also had an extensive career in law enforcement. In 1995, he joined the city of Chillicothe Police Department as a patrolman and later became the chief of police until May 2020. He also was an instructor for the Ohio University Chillicothe Southern Police Training Institute from 2007 to 2016.

From 1990 to 1993, Washburn served as an Intelligence Analyst Specialist in the 4th Infantry Division of the United States Army.

In 2012, Washburn received an associate's degree in law enforcement technology, and in 2013, a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Ohio University. He earned his juris doctorate from Capital University Law School in 2018.