Beloved Putnam County Court Judge Dies
Putnam County Court Judge James Reitz has died
Reitz, who had been a county justice since 2007, died suddenly this morning at Putnam Hospital Center. He was 57.
County Executive MaryEllen Odell informed county workers of the tragedy earlier today. Odell, who was friends with Reitz and has known him for most of his life, said she and so many were heartbroken over his death.
“It’s a terrible loss,” Odell said. “And he’ll be known as a legend for everything he did. There wasn’t a person in this county who wasn’t touched by Jimmy.”
Reitz, who lived in Carmel with his wife Barbara, began his career on the bench as a Carmel town justice and then ran successfully for county court judge in 2007, where he served since. He is well known for his work on Drug Treatment Court, which got national attention for helping drug addicts recover and lead better lives.
Visiting hours for Reitz will be on Monday from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Putnam County Training & Operations Center at 112 Old Route 6 in Carmel. A mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday at St James the Apostle Church, 14 Gleneida Avenue in Carmel.
“He just tried to make everybody’s life as good as it could be,” Odell said.
