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Putnam County, New York Court Judge James Reitz, 57, was presiding over a family court matter on Friday when he suffered a fatal heart attack. According to state Unified Court System spokesman Lucian Chalfen, court officers performed CPR and used an automatic electronic defibrillator on the judge. He was taken to Putnam Hospital Center, and died shortly after arriving at the hospital.
As reported by Law.com, Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell said Judge Reitz will be remembered as a strong proponent of drug treatment court, and even appeared in an NBC News program on drug courts:
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“He took it to a whole other level,” Odell said of his work on the drug court, which she said has kept many addicts out of jail while directing them to treatment.
“He was constantly raising the bar [for the program] and giving opportunities to those who had fallen prey to addiction,” she continued, because ”he saw that it was working, and he loved that—he saw that the recidivism rate had declined dramatically” under the program.
“We were talking today about Jimmy Reitz, and that’s who he was,” she said. “If he could save a life, he was going to try—from the bench and from the street.”
Odell went on to note that Reitz was a “pillar of the community” and that “he was his happiest when he was in the courtroom.” Reitz is survived by his wife, Barbara, and step-children. Our thoughts go out to the judge’s family, friends, and colleagues during this difficult time.
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).