By Jill Fennema –

Pipestone County has a new assistant county attorney. Destiney Johnson was hired in October 2020. She replaces Cassie Loeffler, who resigned her position in December 31, 2019, after only three years.

County Attorney Damain Sandy was the assistant county attorney for 18 years prior to that. The other assistant county attorney is Scott Barduson, who mostly works as the Torrens examiner of titles for the Court.

The majority of the work done by the county attorney’s office is not apparent to the public. Sandy and his two assistants provide legal advice for the Pipestone County Commissioners on subjects such as the Minnesota Open Meeting Law, the Data Practices Act, personnel issues, and bidding procedures.

They also have responsibility for child protection services, juvenile delinquencies, and involuntary civil commitments of people with chemical dependencies, developmental disabilities, or mental illnesses.

The work can be unpredictable, challenging, and complex.

“We must be well-educated in many different areas of law, which is a challenge by itself,” explains Johnson. “Furthermore, this line of work is quite unpredictable. Our days frequently do not go as planned, because new county cases come up regularly and private clients come in with emergency situations that need tending to.”

For the complete article, please see the February 3rd edition of the Edgerton Enterprise. If you do not currently receive the Enterprise, CLICK HERE for information on how to subscribe!