Juvenile assistant state attorney retiring
PHOTO PROVIDED
Deb Oates, who has headed up the Juvenile Division of the State Attorney's office, is retiring Friday after 28 years with that office and another six with the Public Defender's Office. Oates is a lifelong resident of Bartow.
Deb Oates, long a familiar presence in Bartow and in juvenile court, is retiring Friday.
She’ll be turning her attention to friends and family and perhaps even working part-time in the private sector. Oates said she is not a person who likes to be in the spotlight, but she did agree to talk about her tenure with the State Attorney’s Office, and how she has worked with Jerry Hill from the time he headed up the Public Defender’s office, following him to the State Attorney’s Office when he was elected to that post. All in all, she has been with the court system for 34 years, 28 with the SAO and six as an assistant public defender.
