Former county attorney has died

Longtime Carlton County attorney Thom Pertler died Monday after falling ill during a trip this fall.

Pertler worked for the Carlton County Attorney’s office for more than 23 years, starting as an assistant county attorney under Marv Ketola, and was well-known for prosecuting Donald Blom in 2000 for the murder of Katie Poirier. He won a conviction, despite a recanted confession and conflicting evidence. He also helped prosecute the Paul Antonich murder case in 1996, a case in which five men were found guilty of kidnapping and murdering a Duluth teenager after he accidentally rear-ended their car. Pertler was also a founding member of the Carlton County Drug Court.

Pertler was appointed as Carlton County Attorney in January 2005, and subsequently elected to serve four-year terms until he was defeated by current county attorney Lauri Ketola in the 2018 general election.

His career was not without its troubles, including a DWI in 2012 and disbarment earlier this year for failing to disclose known police misconduct when he was in office. Pertler chose not to fight the disbarment. He had retired from practicing law.

Find his obituary on Page 8 of this week’s Pine Knot News.