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Longtime Summit County bailiff takes on new role
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: July 21, 2017
A love of computers, complex issues and new challenges—those are the factors that first led former Summit County Common Pleas Court Bailiff Brian Scheetz to become interested in a career in the court system and those are the reasons he said he’s never changed course.
“I’ve always enjoyed working with computers,” said Scheetz. “Understanding how laws are written and the consequences they hold is a bit like unraveling a computer code.
“Working in the courts you also never know what will happen when you walk in the door, which makes for an interesting day,” said Scheetz. “It keeps you on your toes and you don’t get into a rut.”
Scheetz spent the bulk of his career working in the Summit County court system. Most recently he was former Summit County Common Pleas Judge Lynne Callahan’s bailiff.
On May 15 he moved to the Medina County Court of Common Pleas, where he serves as civil administrator to Judge Joyce Kimbler.
“Up until now, I’ve always been responsible for handling a criminal docket,” said Scheetz, a resident of West Akron. “My new position is allowing me to broaden my horizons and learn the civil side.
“I’m very excited about the opportunity, which I believe will make me a more well-rounded employee.”
Judge Kimbler described Scheetz as “intellectually curious.”
“I think that’s what makes him so good at his job,” said Judge Kimbler. “If something comes in and he has questions, he does his research and always comes up with the most efficient way to accomplish it.
“Brian is very positive and upbeat,” she said. “No matter how many times the phone rings, he is always professional and courteous.”
Born in Akron and raised in Cuyahoga Falls and Tallmadge, Scheetz graduated from Tallmadge High School. He studied computer science at The University of Akron before taking a job in the Summit County Engineer’s Office in January 1988.
When he left the engineer’s office and started working in the clerk of courts office at the Akron Municipal Court in June 1997, he held the title of computer systems supervisor.
Jim Laria, who had recently become clerk of courts at the time, hired Scheetz as computer systems manager to handle all the IT matters.
“I knew Brian from some mutual friends that worked in the engineer’s office,” said Laria. “The engineer’s office was running on the same platform that we were using so I knew he was already familiar with it.
“Brian took a risk when he left the engineer’s office because I was up for election months after he started and there was no guarantee of long-term employment.
“He was an outstanding employee,” said Laria. “He communicated well with people at a base level and he got things done. He was always reliable and accountable.”
Scheetz said he found the position intriguing because he was given a variety of different tasks every day.
“I also had to learn how to read law codes in order to program penalties and costs into the computer system,” Scheetz said. “It’s very similar to deciphering a computer path.”
Over the years, Laria said the two became friends and remain in contact today.
In January 2009 Scheetz took on a different role as bailiff to Judge Callahan, who then served as a judge on the Summit County Court of Common Pleas Court. She currently serves on the 9th District Court of Appeals.
“When Brian left to take a job with Judge Callahan, it was a loss,” said Laria. “I encouraged him to take the job because it was a good opportunity. It’s a tribute to Brian that his work is so well appreciated that others want to hire him.”
“Brian and I started in the Akron Municipal Court close to the same time,” said Judge Callahan. “I was appointed to the bench and I spent about 11 years there so I got to see Brian’s work.
“He has an incredible computer aptitude,” she said. “We developed a friendship and a mutual respect for one another. When it came time for me to move to the common pleas court I thought he was someone I would want as a bailiff.
“Brian loves learning,” said Judge Callahan. “He was like a sponge. He would sit at his desk with the revised code until he was up to speed, which was really helpful at the common pleas court.”
Scheetz said working as a bailiff was “great because you never knew what cases would come in or what might happen from one day to the next.”
“We don’t have our own individual bailiffs here so I could not take Brian with me,” said Judge Callahan. “Despite the fact that he could have been out of a job, he was one of my biggest champions.
“It was bittersweet for me to move on because Brian was like a brother.”
His wife Kit Scheetz is the bailiff in the 9th District Court of Appeals.
When Judge Callahan moved over to the court of appeals, retired Judge James Kimbler was assigned to administer her docket. During that time, Scheetz served as his bailiff.
“I had met Brian before,” he said. “But when I took over in February we worked together and I was pretty impressed with his work ethic, knowledge of the law and his discretion when he handled matters.
“When I would go home I would tell my wife how efficient and helpful he was.”
He said when his wife’s administrative assistant resigned, she asked him to put her in contact with Scheetz.
“I was happy to do it and I’m glad it all worked out so well,” he said.
Scheetz said his new job entails scheduling pretrial hearings, status hearings and other matters and making sure nothing slips through the cracks.
“It’s similar to what I did for Judge Callahan only I’m dealing with civil cases now,” he said.
“When Judge Callahan went over to the 9th District Court of Appeals, my philosophy was that I would keep working in the Summit County Common Pleas Court as long as possible,” said Scheetz. “But when this opportunity came up, I could not pass it up.
“Jobs like this don’t come along often,” said Scheetz, 52. “As I get older I’m looking for stability and I have no plans to go anywhere at this point.
“I meet a lot of interesting people and I never know what’s coming through the door.”