Sergeant joins prosecutor's office

WALLACE — A lot can change in the course of just a few months.

For example, it was just a few months ago that Keisha Oxendine was Shoshone County’s Prosecuting Attorney.

Now a magistrate judge, Oxendine was replaced by her chief deputy Ben Allen — who was appointed to the role by the Board of County Commissioners and is currently running unopposed for the job in the upcoming General Election.

Allen’s appointment led to a promotion for Britney Jacobs, who had been a deputy under Oxendine but now is the chief deputy under Allen.

Enter Scott Sergeant — who is now filling the spot once occupied by Jacobs — and whose hiring couldn’t have come at a better time.

Sergeant, 28, comes to Shoshone County by way of Grand Rapids, Mich., with stops in Wyoming and Florida where he attended school, as well as doing a little teaching himself.

After a discussion with father-in-law to be, the realization that teaching middle school with nothing more than a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts wasn’t going to afford him the lifestyle he wanted for he and his family, so he decided to pursue law.

“I actually thought about med school first,” Sergeant said with a chuckle. “But you put yourself like a million dollars in debt before you make any money, so I decided to try law school.”

Following law school in Florida, Sergeant was looking for a place that allowed him the opportunity to get out and enjoy nature — which led him to the Kootenai County Prosecutor’s office, where he spent 10 months before taking the job in Shoshone.

“I’m really happy to be here,” Sergeant said. “I like the variety of the work here, the people in the community are great, and there just isn’t the bustle that comes with a city.”

From a work perspective, Sergeant primarily handled misdemeanors and infractions, but in Shoshone County where even as the low man on the proverbial prosecuting attorney totem pole, he’s handling all of those things plus a little bit of everything else.

Sergeant and his wife bought a home in Pinehurst where they live with their young son, and are expecting their second child at the end of September.

Allen is thrilled to have Sergeant join his team and highlighted his experience in the legal world, his willingness to ingratiate himself and his family into the community, as well as his love of the surrounding natural landscape that he can now enjoy.

“Scott comes to us with prosecution experience under his belt already, as well as a familiarity of the criminal justice system in the state of Idaho,” Allen said. “I genuinely believe that he will be a perfect fit for a small rural community such as Shoshone County. I’m excited for the opportunity that he will have to raise his family in the type of tight-knit community that the Silver Valley will provide a family such as his.”