Learn more about the experienced judges and dedicated staff serving the Clinton County Court of Common Pleas.
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Judge Andrew T. McCoy
McCoy joined the Clinton County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office in November 2007, was promoted to chief trial counsel in 2009, then named chief deputy prosecutor in 2016. In September 2020, McCoy was appointed county prosecutor by the Clinton County Republican Party Central Committee. He is now serving as the General Division Judge since January 1, 2025, succeeding Judge John W. “Tim” Rudduck.
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Judge Chad L. Carey
Carey received his undergraduate degree from Wilmington College in 1985 and his J.D. degree from the Capital University Law School in 1988. Before his election to the court of common pleas, Carey was a judge on the Clinton County Municipal Court. He was appointed to the municipal court in 2000 by former Governor Bob Taft. He was previously a partner at the firm of Peele and Carey Law Offices in Wilmington, Ohio. He was also an assistant county prosecutor and magistrate for the village of Sabina and as a night court hearing officer for the Columbus City Attorney's Office.
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Magistrate Helen Rowlands
Started as a legal secretary/paralegal in 1982 and worked my way through Wright State University (BS in Accounting, summa cum laude) and Capital Law School (Juris Doctorate). I engaged in the general practice of law and prosecution of misdemeanors before taking my present position as Magistrate in the Clinton County Common Pleas Court.
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Magistrate Chaley Peelle Griffith
She received her undergraduate degree from Xavier University, and her law degree from the University of Dayton. She was admitted to the bar in 2004 and has been in private practice with Peelle Law Offices Co., L.P.A. for much of her legal career.
Griffith is active in the community, having been past president of the local Red Cross Leadership Council, the Wilmington Schools Foundation, and the Clinton County Foundation.