Judge James C. Evans dies at 72

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Judge James C. Evans, who spent 16 years on the Mahoning County Common Pleas Court bench, died Thursday. He retired last year.

Arrangements are being handled by Lane Funeral Home, who said he died at University Hospitals, Cleveland. A spokesman had no information on the cause of death but said he was born in November 1942.

Before serving as a common pleas court judge, Judge Evans was an Ohio State Highway Patrol officer, a Jackson Township trustee and a county court judge and had a private law practice.

He was elected in 1998 to the first of three six-year terms on the bench, defeating Republican Theresa Dellick, now juvenile court judge, for an open seat.

“I knew Judge Evans when he was a lawyer and I was a bailiff for Judge [Clyde W.] Osborne,” said his colleague Judge R. Scott Krichbaum.

“He was a guy of tremendous humor, intellect, and he had a great and eager yearning for the law. I always thought he was forthright, honest and fair.

“It’s a genuine tragedy his retirement was so short-lived. He served the public with honor and distinction, and I will miss him.”

Judge John M. Durkin also said it was sad his friend and colleague did not have a chance to enjoy his retirement. His relationship with Judge Evans went back to 1983 when then-Atty. Durkin first got out of law school.

“I shared office space with him. He was dedicated to his job, his family, and was one of the most honest individuals I ever had the pleasure of knowing. It was an honor to serve with him” on the common pleas court bench.

Mark Munroe, chairman of the Mahoning County Republican Party, issued this statement on Judge Evans:

“Judge Evans was first and foremost a gentleman, respected on the bench, of course, but many probably knew him because of his long service with the Canfield Fair, overseeing police, fire and traffic.

“After his retirement, he was determined to make a difference and sought appointment to the Ohio Ethics Commission. It’s kind of ironic, given our checkered history, that an elected Mahoning County officeholder would serve on the ethics commission, but he was the right man for the job. It’s a shame he did not get to enjoy more of his retirement.”

Judge Evans was a 1960 Rayen School graduate. He earned his law degree from Ohio Northern University in 1975. He also earned his bachelor’s degree in education and criminal justice and a master’s degree in counseling from Ohio Northern.

He passed the Ohio State Bar Exam in 1976.

He worked at Youngstown State University, where he was assistant director of security, and also taught criminal justice at YSU and law enforcement for the Ohio Peace Officers Association.

He was a private first class in the Army.

He was commissioned as a trooper with the Ohio State Highway Patrol in 1964 and was assigned to the patrol’s Canfield Post in 1966.