Jason L. Schmidt is pictured being sworn in as Chautauqua County District Attorney with fiancee Danielle Erickson holding the bible.

Jason L. Schmidt was sworn into the office of Chautauqua County District Attorney on Friday with far less fanfare than any of his predecessors. The ceremony was held along the shores of Lake Erie without guests, speeches, or any of the traditional inauguration formalities. It lasted just a few minutes.

Chautauqua County Court Judge Hon. David W. Foley administered the oath of office as Schmidt’s fiancee Danielle Erickson held the Bible. What has traditionally been a standing-room only inaugural event was instead a short, intimate affair that appropriately reflected Schmidt’s focus on getting down to the serious business of creating a strong District Attorney’s Office dedicated to providing justice to victims and the community at large.

Since the election, Schmidt has been meeting with police and working to build a team to tackle the myriad issues facing the District Attorney’s Office.

“There’s considerable challenges facing the office and I’m ready to get down to the business of serving Chautauqua County,” said Schmidt. “I’ve got a team in place committed to tackling the backlog of undisposed cases which accumulated during the pandemic and ready to prosecute new cases as they come in. We’re energized and determined to succeed.”