Brent Elliot seeks circuit judge seat

Brent Elliott, Chillicothe attorney (The Elliott Firm, LLC) and lifelong resident of North Missouri, announces his intention to seek the Democratic nomination for Circuit Judge Division I, 43rd Judicial Circuit. The position is being vacated by the retirement of the current and longtime judge, Kenneth R. Lewis. The 43rd Judicial Circuit includes the counties of Caldwell, Clinton, Daviess, DeKalb and Livingston.

Elliott, 44, has practiced law in the 43rd Judicial Circuit for nearly 20 years. He served as Chillicothe’s city attorney and city prosecutor from 1983 to 1988 and was elected to two terms as Livingston County Prosecutor during this same time before entering private practice. He and his wife, DeNeece, and son, Connor, reside on their small farm west of Chillicothe.

Raised on the family farm near Eagleville, Elliott attended North Harrison High School and then Graceland College, Lamoni, Iowa. He graduated from Graceland College with honors and degrees in business administration and political science with a teaching certificate and coaching endorsement. He then attended University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law and graduated in 1980. Elliott worked as a staff attorney for one session of the Missouri House of Representatives and then returned to north Missouri to serve as city attorney for Chillicothe.

As Livingston County prosecutor, Elliott handled thousands of criminal cases ranging from misdemeanors to felonies and successfully tried dozens of felonies in front of juries. Following a law enforcement undercover investigation, Elliott convened Livingston County’s first grand jury in 13 years, which resulted in 40 indictments. He won convictions on each person indicted for illegal drug trafficking.

He was selected by the Missouri Office of Prosecution Services to represent Missouri’s prosecutors and appear on televised Arson Awareness programs. He was also selected to address the Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys regarding the investigation and trial of illegal drug cases. He addressed the Missouri Department of Conservation Agents on searches and seizures and trained dozens of conservation agents on courtroom procedures. After leaving the prosecutor’s office, Elliott has served as special prosecutor for a number of drug and murder cases.

As a practicing attorney, Elliott received an “AV” rating by the Martindale-Hubbell Rating System signifying his legal abilities are of “the very highest standard” and his “professional ethics are unquestioned.” He is a member of the Livingston County and Missouri Bar Associations and is licensed to practice in the Western District Federal Court.

Elliott is involved in a number of community activities. He is a member and chairman of the board of directors of the Mount Olive Methodist Church, an active member in the Chillicothe Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors program, and a member of Chillicothe Elks Lodge No. 656. He is an avid conservationist and hunter with memberships in Ducks Unlimited, Quail Unlimited and the National Wild Turkey Federation. He also serves as President of the Roger A. Browning Foundation, Inc., a foundation responsible for the management and distribution of funds for charitable contributions in the Livingston County area.

Elliott is a recipient of the Eagle Scout, God and Country, and Silver Beaver awards and continues to be active in the Boy Scouts of America. He is currently the Presiding Chieftain of the 13,000 member Tribe of Mic-O-Say and serves as Legal Counsel for the Pony Express Council that covers 13 north Missouri and three Kansas counties. He has also had the honor of presenting dozens of Eagle Scout Awards to deserving youth in north Missouri.

Elliott has spoken at high school commencement activities and to numerous youth groups regarding opportunities for rural youth and their duties as citizens. He has lectured to hundreds of students on courtroom procedures and assisted with student body “mock” trials. He is currently a member of Chillicothe R-II school’s “Partners in Education” program where he sponsors a 6thgrade classroom.