Alley appointed new Hill County attorney

By TIm Leeds

Shortly after 8 a.m. this morning, Deputy Hill County Attorney Karen Alley was appointed the new Hill County attorney.

Hill County Commission Chair Mark Peterson and Commissioner Diane McLean voted unanimously to accept the resignation of County Attorney Jessica Cole Hodgkinson and appointed Alley, who was the sole deputy for the last few months, as the new county attorney.

Peterson asked the public to be patient as Alley worked to catch up on a backlog in the office.

"I believe Karen has done a great job trying to keep the office afloat during some hard times," he said. "I think it is the right thing to do."

McLean concurred.

"She has walked in to a very difficult spot," McLean said. "I am truly disappointed in the misconduct, really, that we have seen in the previous county attorney's work."

Cole-Hodgkinson, who was appointed in November 2016 to replace outgoing Hill County Attorney Gina Dahl, submitted her letter of resignation Thursday effective at 8 a.m. today.

Cole-Hodgkinson faced complaints and allegations of misconduct almost from the start of her term, including having cases dismissed because she was not prepared or failed to appear at hearings and trials, and faces hearings in District Court Thursday and Justice Court Aug. 7 to show cause why she failed to have paperwork filed in District Court and failed to have an eligible attorney appear to cover cases in Justice Court.

Alley won the Democratic primary in June for the position, and is unopposed in the general election.

Watch for more on this case in today's edition of the Havre Daily News