District Attorney Steve Howe maintained his seat as the county’s head prosecutor Tuesday, ensuring a fifth term for the Republican.
In unofficial final results, voters chose Howe over Democratic challenger Vanessa Riebli 50.6% to 49.2%.
The vote totals were 162,101 for Howe and 157,646 for Riebli.
Howe earns fifth term
The results show that Howe was able to weather controversies over his handling of the officer-involved killing of John Albers in 2018 and the FBI investigation that brought national attention to the case.
Howe was first elected in 2008 and ran unopposed for two ensuing terms in 2012 and 2016.
But his decision not to charge the police officer who shot and killed John Albers in 2018 while the teenager was in a mental health crisis followed him through pandemic years in which police killings came under close public scrutiny.
An FBI investigation followed, but no federal charges were filed against the officer.
Howe fended off challenges from two former assistant DAs
Howe’s quest for a fifth term in office was met with vigorous challenges by three comers — two Democrats and a Republican.
In the Democratic primary in August, Riebli won against Zach Thomas, a defense attorney who had challenged Howe unsuccessfully in 2020.
Howe also defeated a challenge within his own party from David Greenwald, of the Lawrence prosecutor’s office.
Greenwald and Riebli were both former prosecutors for Johnson County. Riebli served over 21 years as assistant district attorney and also has experience as a defense attorney.
During the general election campaign, Riebli challenged Howe’s leadership, management of the office staff and number of timely prosecutions. She proposed specialty units and an emphasis on mental health and drug crimes.
Howe campaigned on his record, citing a flat crime rate since he took office and effective prosecution.
This story will be updated.
This story was originally published in the Johnson County Post.
