Kosciusko County Coroner Tony Ciriello confirmed Superior Court I Judge David Cates unexpectedly died Wednesday.
No other information was available from Ciriello late Wednesday night.
Cates was re-elected in the general election Nov. 3 to serve another six-year term in Superior Court I. Cates was elected judge in 2014. He was successful in the Republican primary on May 6, 2014, receiving 44.4% of the vote after competing against Stephen P. Harris and Chad Miner. In the general election in 2014, Cates was unopposed and elected to the bench.
Kosciusko County GOP Republican Party Central Committee Chair Mike Ragan said, “He was a great guy. I liked him a lot. I was fortunate to have met with him often and we talked about more than politics. He was just a great guy, and it will be hard to replace him.”
Kosciusko Superior Court III Judge-Elect Chad Miner said Wednesday night, “I’ve always had a tremendous amount of respect for Judge Cates and I’m incredibly sad to hear that he passed away. He was such a great judge and just a real asset to the community, both obviously when he was a judge and even before as an attorney. He was just a really great guy and just an incredible asset, so it’s just very, very sad.”
Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer said he was called by Warsaw Police Chief Scott Whitaker Wednesday night and told about Cates’ passing.
“I’m sad. I’m sad. He was a very good man. We’ll miss him. Nobody likes it when something like this happens. He was a good guy and he cared for the community,” Thallemer said.
As more information becomes available, this story will be updated in the newspaper and online.
Ragan said the governor will be tasked with appointing a replacement for Cates.
Cates received his bachelor of science from Purdue University and a JD from the Indiana University School of Law in Indianapolis. He was a partner at the law firm Green, Cates and Grossnickle, LLP.
