Brad Shealy, Chief Assistant District Attorney, announced today that he has qualified  as a candidate to succeed J. David Miller as District Attorney for the Southern Judicial Circuit.  The Southern Judicial Circuit comprises the counties of Brooks, Colquitt, Echols, Lowndes and Thomas.

Shealy has served as Chief Assistant District Attorney since January 6, 2006, when he succeeded current Judge James Hardy in that position.  He has served in the District Attorney’s office for over 26 years.

Shealy, a native of Quitman, GA, graduated from Valdosta State College in 1980 and from Emory University School of Law in 1983.  He was in private practice from 1983 – 1988 in Valdosta, Hahira and Quitman.  During some of this time,  he served as City Attorney for Quitman and as its Municipal Court Judge.

Since 1998, he has been responsible for prosecuting most of the murder and armed robbery cases which occurred in Lowndes County.  For over twenty years, he has prosecuted most of the cases in Echols County.  He is responsible for handling most of the major cases in Brooks County and also serves as a Solicitor in the Brooks County State Court.  He handles cases in Thomas and Colquitt Counties on a case by case basis.  He has recently disposed of a Vehicular Homicide case in Thomas County.

Shealy is a member of the District Attorneys’ Association of Georgia and in 2013 was named its Assistant District Attorney of the year.  He has also appeared in segments of the series 48 Hours and On the Case with Paula Zahn.

“I want to thank David Miller for all of the opportunities that he has given me while serving him.  He has been a great boss and has well served the people of this Circuit.  I have been blessed to have a job that, after 26 years, I still love and enjoy.  I have always wanted to be District Attorney for this Circuit.  Whenever a position became available in the Circuit I never applied or ran for it because this is what I want to do.  I look forward to the chance to serve the citizens of this Circuit as their District Attorney.  As District Attorney, I will continue to embrace the high standards of justice and fairness that this office has always maintained.”

Shealy and his wife, Annette, reside in Quitman. He currently serves as President of the Brooks County Board of Education where he has been a member for over 30 years.  He served two terms on the Board of Directors for the Georgia School Boards Association.  He also is a member of the Brooks County Library Board.  He is a member of the Quitman Kiwanis and the First Presbyterian Church.  He also serves his church as a lay pastor in various churches in the area each Sunday.