Stearns County Prosecutor Appointed as Judge in Little Falls

ST. PAUL (WJON News) -- A top prosecutor in the Stearns County Attorney's Office is leaving her post to become a judge.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has appointed Meriel Lester to a vacant seat on the bench in Morrison County.

Lester will replace Judge Leonard Weiler, who is retiring. She'll be chambered in Little Falls.

Lester is the Assistant Chief of the Criminal Division of the Stearns County Attorney's Office. She has worked extensively on intimate partner violence and other personal crimes.

Lester was also instrumental in developing the Stearns County Domestic Violence Court and is the designated prosecutor for the Central Minnesota Human Trafficking Task Force.

Lester got her Bachelor of Arts degree at St. Cloud State University and her law degree at the University of St. Thomas School of Law.

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