SCHUYLKILL COUNTY -- Schuylkill County will have a new district attorney.
Democrat Michael O'Pake has unseated the Republican incumbent Christine Holman.
O’Pake is a Democrat from Mahanoy City who now lives in Norwegian Township, near Pottsville. He primarily worked in private practice, though he was a part-time assistant district attorney in Schuylkill County for about a decade before becoming a public defender. O’Pake works as a solicitor for a number of school districts and entities in Schuylkill County.
"It's been a long road. It's been a pleasurable road. I've gotten an opportunity to meet a great number of people. The vote totals tonight showed that the district attorney's office had some problems. I'm going to correct those problems immediately," O'Pake said.
Holman worked in private practice in Frackville for about a decade before becoming lead prosecutor in Schuylkill County’s juvenile division. Holman was elected district attorney in 2013 by just 67 votes (out of more than 30,400 votes cast) over Democratic incumbent Karen Byrnes-Noon.
One of the key things O'Pake said he wants to do as district attorney is to track down a large number of people in the county who have bench warrants for their arrest. He also hopes to implement some kind of system to battle the opioid problem.