Methow Valley native Robert Grim has been appointed to fill a vacancy on the Okanogan County District Court.
Grim, who is the son of Renda Grim and Robert M. Grim, was sworn in on July 10. He succeeds Heidi Smith, who resigned the position, and joins Judge Charles Short on the District Court bench.
Grim is a 2003 graduate of Liberty Bell High School. He graduated from Washington State University in 2007 with a degree in criminal justice and earned his juris doctor degree at Gonzaga University Law School in 2012.
For the past three years, Grim has been practicing at Kottkamp & Yedinak in Wenatchee, where he concentrated in criminal law.
Grim said he saw the District Court opening as an opportunity to fulfill a career goal, and to return to the Methow.
“I wanted to come home and make a difference in the community,” he said. Grim will live near Winthrop and commute to Okanogan, he said.
Grim said he has a long-time interest in criminal law, and served as reserve Okanogan County deputy sheriff for a time before he entered law school.
Grim was appointed by the county commissioners after an application and interview process. He will run for election as the incumbent in the 2016 general election.
