Tioga County has a new top judge. Former District Attorney Gerald Keene was sworn in Tuesday at the Tioga County Courthouse. Keene replaces Judge Vincent Squeglia who retired at the end of 2012. Keene was elected in November. In taking the oath of office, Keene thanked his supporters and said he intends to maintain a dignified courtroom.
Still to be decided, is who will replace Keene as Tioga County District Attorney. That task falls to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is responsible for appointing the new DA. In the interim, Assistant District Attorney Irene Graven will fill the post and may be one of the names under consideration by Cuomo to eventually fill the seat. Graven has been the assistant DA for the past 13 years and is familiar with many of the pending cases in Tioga County. The highest profile case slated to be prosecuted in the county this year will be the third Cal Harris murder trial. According to Graven, and from previous statements made by Keene, she will likely be handling the case. No date for that trial has yet been set and there is a likelihood that Harris’ defense attorney may ask for a change of venue.
