About Sarah
Background and Family
Growing up in neighboring Union County, Sarah had a modest childhood. Her father worked at Honda of America Mfg. from which he retired after 23 years. That job allowed her mother to primarily stay home and raise her and her brother. She was raised with conservative values, going to church and participating in athletics, dance, Girl Scouts, and 4H.
Sarah and her husband Cody reside in Bellefontaine. He is an alum of Indian Lake High School and now works as an Engineer at Honda Transmission Mfg. The couple will soon celebrate 13 years of marriage. They have two children, aged 11 and 10. Sarah enjoys anything that involves spending time together as a family and they all enjoy traveling and collecting National Park Passport stamps. Both children have begun participating in athletics, so she can often be found at practice and games. The family has attended church locally at Vineyard Christian Fellowship since 2016.
As the child and now spouse of Honda employees, Sarah is deeply appreciative of the opportunities the company provides for the residents of Logan County and beyond.
The blessings and challenges of life have shaped her perspective and prepared her to serve on the bench. Her personal experience navigating her parents’ divorce as a young adult now allows her to understand the impact such proceedings have on children, and she brings that perspective to every case while always prioritizing their best interests. As the mother of both a daughter and a son, she brings meaningful maternal perspective to the bench when presiding over juvenile matters.
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Education and Work
Sarah is a graduate of Fairbanks High School. Her interest in law began at a young age and she participated in mock trial and worked at the local law firm of one of her mock trial coaches during high school.
Her connection to Logan County began in the early 2000s when she worked as a legal assistant at Brandt and Moell in West Liberty. There, she was able to utilize her associate’s degree in legal assisting as she continued her education at Urbana University.
Throughout this time, she also worked various other service-oriented jobs and took advantage of employment opportunities at Honda.
Working at Brandt & Moell affirmed her desire to pursue a law degree and by this point, Sarah had fallen in love with Logan County and felt called to make it home. She commuted from West Liberty to Ada while attending Ohio Northern University Claude W. Pettit College of Law. After graduating, while awaiting her bar exam results, she worked as a substitute teacher in the Logan County schools while also helping coach the West Liberty Salem Mock Trial team. She greatly enjoyed working with the talented, driven group of students and the chance to inspire them as she had once been inspired.
She then began working as a court-appointed attorney in the family court handling juvenile delinquency and children’s services cases. Shortly thereafter, a felony prosecutor position became available within the County Prosecutor’s Office. Sarah was hired for the job and thus began her career as a public servant and over 10 years as an Assistant County Prosecutor.
During her time as a prosecutor Sarah handled hundreds of felony criminal cases, including taking many to jury trial. She was in court multiple times a week and on-call for local first responders and other officials 24 hours a day for issues concerning arrest, search and seizure, or any other legal issue that may have arisen.
Sarah Today
Sarah made the difficult decision to leave the prosecutor’s office in late 2023 after a serious car accident. She has now come full circle, returning to the Family Court as a Magistrate in July 2024. She is employed under Judges Kim Kellogg-Martin and Natasha R. Kennedy.
The judges are elected and serve six-year terms. The two judges’ terms are staggered so they are not up for election the same year. Judge Martin’s term expires on February 8, 2027, and she is not seeking re-election.
Sarah is seeking election to Judge Martin’s seat and welcomes the opportunity to serve the public as Judge. She is uniquely situated to make this transition due to her current position as Magistrate as well as her former role as Assistant Prosecutor. If you know or have previously worked with Sarah, you know the work ethic she has and that she will bring to the bench. Sarah is someone that shows up every day, answers every phone call no matter the time, and isn’t afraid to work or to fight for what is best for the citizens of Logan County!