Judge, Miami County Court of Common Pleas, General Division
Hon. Jeannine N. Pratt
Bench Watch Brief · Profile in brief
Jeannine N. Pratt has been a judge of the Miami County Court of Common Pleas in Troy, Ohio, since February 2015, after 18 years as a county assistant prosecutor. She presided over the 2026 murder trial of Caleb Flynn and on Oct. 5, 2026, sentenced him to life in prison without parole. She was re-elected without opposition Nov. 3, 2026.
Before the bench
Eighteen years as an assistant prosecutor in Miami County, handling child abuse and neglect cases and felony prosecutions. Before that, private practice in insurance defense and domestic relations law. She has served five terms as the court's administrative judge and oversees its drug court docket.
Record
On Oct. 5, 2026, Pratt sentenced Caleb Flynn to life without parole for aggravated murder, to be served after 16 years of consecutive terms on firearm specifications and evidence tampering. She said he posed “an extreme risk of harm to the public, in fact the highest risk” (Dayton Daily News).
In the Flynn case, Pratt denied the state's request on July 7, 2026, to place a screen so two child witnesses would not have to see the defendant while testifying, finding the state had not shown the specific need the Confrontation Clause requires (WKEF/Dayton 24/7 Now).
Under Miami County's local rules, new criminal cases are assigned to judges by lot (Local Rule 10).
Highlights and issues
Election
Re-elected unopposed to a six-year term
Miami Valley Today listed the race among the uncontested ones and gave no vote total. Unofficial until the county board certifies.
Notable ruling
Election
On the Nov. 3, 2026, ballot for a new six-year term, unopposed
Tracker · covers 2016–2026 · updated November 14, 2026
Judge Jeannine N. Pratt's record in serious criminal cases
Bench Watch logs the sentences Judge Jeannine N. Pratt of Miami County Common Pleas Court has imposed in serious criminal cases since she took the bench in 2015, from court opinions and news reports. It isn't a complete record. In the nine cases logged so far, she went above a sentence prosecutors and the defense jointly recommended once, followed a joint recommendation twice, and went above the prosecution's recommendation once.
9 entries · select a column to sort
| Source | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026Election year | Caleb C. Flynn | Sentence: aggravated murder and 8 other counts (jury trial) | Life without parole, after 16 years on other counts | The harshest of the four sentences Ohio law lists for aggravated murder without a death-penalty specification; LOCAL 12 called it mandatory in this case | SourceCase file | |
| 2022 | Joshua A. Mize | Sentence: involuntary manslaughter in a 1-year-old's death, and other counts (guilty plea) | 18 to 23.5 years | Above the prosecution's original recommendation in the plea deal (15 to 18 years) | Source | |
| 2022 | Britaney N. Kirchgessner | Sentence: aggravated vehicular manslaughter; impaired driving (no-contest plea) | 7 to 10.5 years | Below the maximum (12 years) | Source | |
| 2021 | A Miami County man (name withheld to protect a child) | Sentence: rape of a child under 13 (10 counts) (guilty plea) | 20 years to life | Above the jointly recommended 10 years to life | Source | |
| 2019 | A Miami County man (name withheld to protect a child) | Sentence: rape; sexual battery (no-contest plea) | 11 years | Top of the range on the rape count; terms run concurrently, as the parties jointly recommended | Source | |
| 2018 | Nathan Dotson | Sentence: attempted felonious assault (guilty plea) | 30 months | Below the maximum (36 months) | Source | |
| 2017 | A Miami County man (name withheld to protect a child) | Sentence: sexual battery (2 counts) (bench trial) | 8 years (two 4-year terms, consecutive) | Maximum not stated in the opinion | Source | |
| 2016 | A Miami County man (name withheld to protect a child) | Sentence: rape of a child under 13 (3 counts) (guilty plea) | 20 years to life | No recommendation reported | Source | |
| 2016 | A Miami County man (name withheld to protect a child) | Sentence: rape of a child under 13 (2 counts) (guilty plea) | 18 years | Followed the jointly recommended sentence | Source |
We flag election years because studies of judges in Pennsylvania, Washington and North Carolina found sentences grew harsher as contested elections approached. A flag isn't a finding about this judge; it lets you compare.
Cases we follow in this courtroom
Video · LOCAL 12 (WKRC)Criminal trialOn appealState of Ohio v. Caleb C. Flynn
Miami Cnty. C.P. · No. 26 CR 88
Caleb C. Flynn, 40, a former “American Idol” contestant, was sentenced Oct. 5, 2026, to life in prison without parole for the aggravated murder of his wife, Ashley Flynn, 37, in their Tipp City, Ohio, home. He must first serve 16 years of consecutive terms. A Miami County jury convicted him Sept. 29. His appeal is pending before Ohio's Second District Court of Appeals.
Updated November 14, 2026 · 3 min read
Coverage
Judge Jeannine Pratt sentenced Caleb Flynn to life without parole. Here's who she is.
A former county prosecutor in her 12th year on the Miami County bench, Pratt ordered 16 years on other counts served before the life term begins.
· 4 min read