Jerome County looking for new prosecutor

JEROME, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — Jerome County is seeking its third prosecutor in less than two years after its current one leaves next month.

Prosecuting Attorney Samuel Beus' last day will be Jan. 13, 2025. Beus was sworn into office in October 2023 after former prosecutor Brad Calbo resigned due to legal trouble.

Since Beus was initially appointed to the position, he had to run for election this past November, according to Jerome County Commissioner Charles Howell.

Beus needed to be a resident of Jerome County to qualify, and the county made him aware of the issue before the November election, Howell said.

The county could not do anything up to that point, so Beus' name stayed on the ballot, according to Howell. It then came to light that Beus still had not moved and was disqualified as a candidate.

The Jerome County Commissioner’s Office then received and accepted a vacancy letter.

“We then turned that vacancy over to the Jerome County Central Committee Republicans,” Howell said, “and then they go out and look for candidates to come back in and apply for the prosecutor’s office for the county of Jerome.”

If no qualified candidates come forward to take office by Dec. 30, Jerome County can hire someone outside its borders, according to Howell.

Even though the county has “heard” of outside candidates being interested, the board has not discussed the next step if they cannot find an out-of-county candidate, Howell said.

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