By Rosemary Horvath
Herald Correspondent
[private]Gratiot County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Laura Bever will succeed Keith Kushion as county prosecutor when he retires on March 31.
She will serve the remaining two years of his 4-year elected term ending Dec. 31, 2024.
Bever told The Herald Tuesday she intends to seek the position at the Nov. 5, 2024 general election. A new 4-year term begins Jan.1, 2025.
Succeeding Kushion as prosecutor had been her desire all along, she said.
Bever’s appointment was made by Circuit Court Judges Shannon L.W. Schlegel and Cori E. Barkman. It also made her the first-ever woman to hold the county position.
The 1987 Alma High School graduate earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Michigan and a law degree from Wayne State University.
She began her law career in Detroit and practiced law locally as a defense attorney.
She acquired Stewart McDonald’s law practice when he became district court judge. She subsequently served as attorney referee for family law.
Married and the mother of three adult children, Bever had once served as Gratiot County commissioner and had chaired the board.
She is an executive board member of the Gratiot Community Foundation, longtime board member of MyMichigan Health Alma for which she served as board president. And she previously served as a board member of Greater Gratiot Development Inc.
She volunteers on the Alma High School Athletic Hall of Fame board.
Kushion’s 38 years in the prosecutor’s office includes 26 years as chief prosecutor.
Bever will hire a replacement for the assistant prosecutor position after a candidate search.
Jennifer Shepherd remains as chief assistant and Colleen Davis as assistant prosecutor. Office professionals are Melinda Fowler, MacKenzie Hudson, Jan Donley and Jess Eerdmans.
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