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Former judge and prosecutor Lynn B. Griffith Jr. died Sunday
By Ed Runyan
WARREN
Lynn B. Griffith Jr., formerly a Trumbull County prosecutor, county Common Pleas Court judge and Warren Municipal judge, died Sunday at age 86.
Trumbull County Prosecutor Dennis Watkins said he was honored when Griffith was willing to serve as Watkins’ campaign chairman, when Watkins ran for prosecutor the first time in 1984.
By that time, Griffith had already served four years as county prosecutor from 1960 to 1964 and seven years as common pleas court judge from 1965 to 1972.
Griffith was a partner in at the time with the law firm of Letson, Letson, Griffith and Kightinger and would serve as municipal court judge some years later — from 1987 to 1999.
Not only that, but his father, Lynn B. Griffith, had distinguished the Griffith name in Ohio when he was appointed Ohio Supreme Court justice in 1962, serving two years.
Watkins said one of the things he respected about Griffith Jr. was his handling of corruption cases while he was county prosecutor in the early 1960s that involved bribes received by Warren council members for sewer projects.
He also admired Griffith’s ability to see both sides of a controversy.
“You knew he was interested in doing the right thing. You knew justice was served with Judge Griffith. He always wanted to see the other side of the issue.”
He was “dedicated to civil rights, the disadvantaged, and that’s, in my opinion, how he served his community,” Watkins said.
Watkins, who’s been the elected Trumbull County prosecutor 30 years, said Griffith was “one of the greatest lawyers of the past 50 years.”
Dallas Woodall, who was a law partner with Griffith after Griffith left the common pleas court bench, said his friend had a great deal of integrity and was well respected.
“He enjoyed people immensely,” he said, adding that Judge Griffith was on the “cutting edge” in trying to address the problems of those affected by drug abuse.
“He had a great sense of humor, was a great family man, a class guy,” Woodall said.
Judge Griffith once said he enjoyed the work as municipal court judge so much “because you got to help people every day.”
A son, Lynn B. Griffith III, is an assistant Trumbull County prosecutor working in the civil division.