St. Charles County Prosecutor Tim Lohmar announced his resignation Thursday. He faces a court hearing next Monday in connection with alleged drunken driving in Miller County by the Lake of the Ozarks in summer 2022.
He was just re-elected, without any opposition, to the job last November.
Lohmar writes that the decision to leave after a decade in the post was made after he and his family "came to the conclusion several months ago that it was time for me to consider other professional opportunities as I realized I could no longer give this job the energy and attention it requires."
He says he's going into the private practice of law.
Lohmar, in his written statement, shared what he feels are his top five accomplishments as St. Charles County prosecutor.
1. We established the Special Victims Unit, the first of its kind, by assembling a team of individuals dedicated to prosecuting sexual offenders, child abusers and domestic abusers.
2. We worked with the Criminal Interdiction Task Force, a collaborative effort of law enforcement departments across the County whose mission is to eradicate motor vehicle thefts and vehicle break-ins.
3. We took a zero-tolerance approach to violent crime by seeking high bonds and mandatory prison sentences for weapons offenses and gun violence.
4. We were part of solving several cold cases, the most significant of which to me was the Angie Housman case, finally bringing her killer to justice after 27 years.
5. We attracted and retained excellent lawyers and staff for the office, we worked well with the judges of the 11th Judicial Circuit and the police departments of St. Charles County, and we did our part to ensure that our community was a pillar in this region.
The statement does not mention the status of the ongoing investigation into his alleged drunken driving. At the time of his pull-over, Lohmar refused a breathalyzer and was forced to give a blood sample for a blood alcohol test, but the results of that have never been made public.
"Inevitably, there will be questions about my decision and about its timing mid-term," he writes. "Let me answer them this way: this is not a sudden decision nor an easy one. The job of prosecuting attorney is rewarding, challenging, and at times grueling."
Lohmar says, by law, his successor as prosecuting attorney will be picked by St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann, with approval required from the County Council.
