John Burlew on Monday announced his candidacy for Daviess County Attorney. Burlew has more than 12 years of experience as the Assistant Daviess County Attorney, and he also previously served as Hawesville’s city attorney for several years.
After current County Attorney Claud Porter chose to not run again, Burlew said he felt this was the opportunity to throw his hat in the ring.
The county attorney’s office is responsible for prosecuting all juvenile cases — including dependency, neglect and abuse cases — as well as traffic and misdemeanor crimes. In addition, it also prosecutes felonies in the initial stages of the case.
“We assist petitioners in guardianship proceedings, Casey’s Law matters [a legal petition requesting the court to order a loved one to treatment], Emergency Protection Orders, and involuntary hospitalizations,” Burlew said.
Burlew said he stands firm in his belief in justice, fairness, honesty and promoting a safe community.
“We will have a victim-oriented and community-safety approach to criminal prosecutions and will give each case its due attention,” he said of his continued commitment to the office.
Born and raised in Owensboro, Burlew graduated from Owensboro High School in 1998.
Burlew then joined the 20th Special Forces Group of the Kentucky Army National Guard, where prior to the 9/11 attacks he was active duty for the Army. He graduated from the Defense Language Institue in California as well as other Army schools and was studying at the University of Kentucky when, in 2001, he participated in the Governor’s Marijuana Strike Task Force, part of a marijuana initiative in Eastern Kentucky.
After the 9/11 attacks, Burlew was sent to the U.S. Army’s 3rd Special Forces Group and within six months was deployed to Afghanistan with his Special Operations Team-Alpha.
“Our teams operated in a tactical environment in various parts of the country, collecting intelligence on — and locating and engaging in — combat with Taliban and Al-Qaeda forces,” Burlew said.
After six months, he returned to Kentucky where he continued his work with the Governor’s Marijuana Strike Task Force and finished his bachelor’s degree at the University of Kentucky before being honorably discharged from the Army in 2006.
Burlew also holds a master’s degree in foreign policy and interned with the National Security Agency, where he worked in International Crime and Narcotics and visited regional intelligence communities, including the CIA.
Burlew returned to UK after being accepted to law school and while there interned with the KY Court of Appeals in Frankfort as well as the Jefferson County Attorney Office.
“What I learned around this time was how much I missed home,” Burlew said. “I’ve always been a bit of a ‘home-body.’ Owensboro is my home, and I realized I wanted to come back.”
In 2008, Burlew began working with Porter and honing his skills to represent the county in a bigger role, when it became available. For the past year, Burlew has been attending Fiscal Court meetings with Porter, who as the county attorney is also the legal representative of Fiscal Court and is responsible for advising the court on procedural or legal matters.
Burlew said he remains committed to the Child Support Division, which aids in the collection of “$9 million to $10 million” per year in child support.
“I have also handled hundreds, maybe over a thousand, guardianship cases and Casey’s Law cases,” he said, adding that he’s handled thousands of criminal cases and Daviess County’s DUI cases.
Burlew currently serves on the Senior Community Center Board and the Kiwanis Club board. Burlew and his wife Katie have a 3-year-old daughter, Ellie, and they attend Christ Community Church. He is also a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 696.
“I feel I have the requisite experience and temperament to serve as the next county attorney,” he said.
