Long named chief deputy prosecutor

Greg Long is the new Bartholomew County Chief Deputy Prosecutor. Long was selected to succeed former Chief Deputy Prosecutor Kathy Burn who retired last month. He is pictured outside the Bartholomew County Courthouse in Columbus, Ind., Thursday, June 11, 2020. Mike Wolanin | The Republic

Bartholomew County’s new chief deputy prosecutor brings experience to his new job.

Greg Long, 48, began his new responsibilities as second-in-command to Bartholomew County Prosecutor Bill Nash on June 1.

In succeeding the now-retired Kathleen “Kathy” Burns, Long will now be paid by the state of Indiana, rather than through Bartholomew County government. Under state statutes, Long will be responsible for handling all aspects of major felony criminal litigation as needed or assigned by elected Prosecutor Bill Nash.

He will also train and assist deputy prosecuting attorneys in such matters as reviewing cases, defining issues, negotiating and developing trial strategy.

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That will include another Columbus native, Joshua Scherschel. The son of Gregory and Peggy Scherschel worked as Jackson County deputy prosecutor before accepting an similar position in his hometown on June 1.

With Burns’ retirement, Long now has more seniority than any other attorney working in his office. He is also the only prosecutor who has handled cases in all three courts, as well as in the child support division, Nash said.

“Greg had already performed almost every deputy prosecutor role in this office,” Nash said. “He has also served as our very first Veteran’s Court prosecutor and the very first prosecutor member of the Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team (JNET).”

Legacies and friendships

Long’s love for the law might be considered a family tradition. He is the fourth generation of a family of distinguished local attorneys that goes back almost 100 years.

The son of James and Georgia Long was only 5 when his father was elected Bartholomew Superior Court 1 judge in 1976. But that didn’t strike young Greg as anything special or unusual, he said.

Long said his grandfather and great-grandfather were also judges. In addition, there are also prosecuting attorneys, city attorneys, and even a mayoral candidate within his family.

Former classmates may recall that Long’s career path ran almost parallel to the one chosen by his close friend, Mike DeArmitt. After both graduated from Columbus North High School in 1990, Long and DeArmitt spent the next four years together earning their undergraduate degrees at Franklin College.

After both earned their law degrees from Indiana University, the long-time friends eventually found themselves working together as deputy prosecutors in Columbus. However, DeArmitt said he returned to private practice five years ago.

“Greg will do a great job because he has made a real commitment to honor the Constitution,” DeArmitt said. “He also has a great sense of right and wrong.”

Former public defender

Jim Long, who left the bench in early 1989 and returned to private practice, brought Greg into his law firm in June, 1997. The former judge expressed his desire to retire soon, and the original plan was for the son to take over the practice.

After joining his father’s firm, Long was immediately placed under contract as a public defender in Bartholomew Circuit Court. It was a job Greg Long held from June 1997 until the end of 1998.

But during his first jury trial as a defense attorney, “I kind of got thrown into the fire,” Long said.

In Bartholomew Circuit Court, he had been assigned to represent Terry A. Mitchell, originally accused of 11 counts of child molestation.

Although Jim Long assisted his son, Greg said his inexperience made him feel he was still learning his job during an extremely high-profile case.

After the jury convicted the defendant of 10 counts of child molestation and one count of attempted molestation, Judge Stephen Heimann ordered Mitchell to serve 68 years in prison.

The unusual experience of his first jury trial helped Long realize that he might enjoy being a prosecutor more than a defense attorney, he said.

Former Bartholomew County Prosecutor Joe Koenig gave him that opportunity. On Jan. 1, 1999, Greg Long began working as a deputy prosecutor, he said.

“I felt better doing that,” Long said. “I felt I could contribute more to the community than doing public defender work.”

Private practice

Three years after being hired by Koenig, Long said he wanted to give private practice one last try. So in early 2002, he went to work for a small law firm in Indianapolis, he said.

It was during this period that Greg Long got to know the man who would eventually become his current boss.

“I came to know Greg very well during my 2002 campaign,” Nash said. “After I took office on Jan. 1, 2003, I waited for an opportunity to bring him back to Bartholomew County. I didn’t have to wait long.”

The longer Long was employed by the Indianapolis firm, the more he realized how much he missed working in the prosecutor’s office in Columbus, he said.

“So when Bill gave me the opportunity to return, I jumped at the chance,” said Long, who said he has remained with the Bartholomew County Prosecutor’s office for the past 17 years.

Long, who will continue to prosecute cases before Bartholomew Superior Court 1 Judge James Worton, plans to continue his work with JNET, which combines city and county investigators into one unit to aggressively pursue drug dealers.

Since the combined unit was created by Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers in early 2015, members of the Indiana State Police and other law enforcement agencies in the region have associated themselves with JNET, Long said.

The creation of the multi-agency investigative team has made Long’s job of reviewing drug-dealing cases filed in Bartholomew County more efficient, he said.

“It helps me prosecute when everybody is working as a team,” Long said. “I’ll continue working with JNET as long as I can keep up with everything else.”

Long says he also enjoys working in Veterans Court because the prosecutor and defense attorney work together as a team, rather than adversaries, to help offenders with military backgrounds.

[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Greg Long” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]

Age: 48

Education; Columbus North High School Class of 1990. Received bachelor’s degree from Franklin College in 1994, and law degree from Indiana University in December 1996.

Professional experience: Admitted to the Indiana bar in June, 1997. Took over his retired father’s practice in June, 1997, and served as a public defender in Circuit Court from June 1997 until December 1998. Also worked briefly in private practice with an Indianapolis law firm. Hired as a deputy prosecutor for Bartholomew County in January 1999.

Noted achievements: Bartholomew County’s first Veteran’s Court prosecutor and the first member of the Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team that represents the prosecutor’s office.

Family: Parents are (former judge) Jim and Georgia Long. Married, two daughters.

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Newly-appointed Chief Deputy Prosecutor Greg Long represents the fourth generation of distinguished attorneys in his family:

  • Father: James “Jim” Long, who was elected Bartholomew Superior Court 1 Judge in 1976 and remained on the bench until the end of 1989.
  • Grandfather (paternal): Charles W. Long, who was Bartholomew County Prosecutor from 1958 until he returned to private practice in 1963.
  • Grandfather (maternal): John Summa, who served as a judge, prosecuting attorney, and Columbus city attorney.  Summa was also a 1938 mayoral candidate, but lost in the Democratic primary to H. Carl Volland.
  • Great-grandfather (paternal): George W. Long, who served as Bartholomew Circuit Court Judge from January 1933 to June 1956.

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