Waukesha County DA's office, Thurston resigns after primary loss
Mike Thurston
WAUKESHA, Wis. - After a heated race for Waukesha County district attorney, Mike Thurston submitted his resignation from the office. His last full day will be Tuesday, Aug. 27.
Lesli Boese defeated Thurston, her coworker in the district attorney's office, in the Aug. 13 primary for the top job. With no other challengers, she will become the county's first new district attorney in nearly a decade.
"With new leadership comes a new vision for the office. That vision must be implemented now," Thurston wrote in his resignation letter. "I respect that fact and don't want to hinder it in any way."
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Thurston prosecuted sensitive crimes for the district attorney's office. Last year, he prosecuted a teen for sexually assaulting woman in her 80s in downtown Waukesha. A jury found the teen guilty of armed robbery, armed carjacking and kidnapping – but declared a mistrial for the sexual assault charge.
"(It's) been an honor to serve the residents of Waukesha County these past nine years," he wrote. "We have fought so hard for our victims and our law enforcement partners, and have achieved many meaningful results."
Boese’s current caseload in the district attorney's office focuses on drug-related crimes, but she’s perhaps best known for prosecuting Darrell Brooks in a month-long trial for the Waukesha Christmas Parade attack. A jury convicted Brooks on all 76 counts.