SUMMERSVILLE, W.Va. — Two-term Nicholas County Prosecutor P.K. Milam handed in his resignation Tuesday effective June 30.
“I’m out of gas. I’m out of gas and it’s time for a change,” Milam told MetroNews adding his office has handled 26,000 criminal cases since he took office on Jan. 1, 2009.
Milam handed his letter to the Nicholas County Commission before its meeting Tuesday morning writing “long hours, nights and weekends are commonplace for a Prosecutor, as crime takes no vacation.”
Milam said his sons are 14 and 10 and he wants to have a more flexible schedule so he can spend time with them.
“I miss a lot of things with my kids that I don’t want to miss. They are the most important things to me in the world, so I think I owe it to them to step out of here,” Milam said.
Nicholas County commissioners announced significant budget cuts for all elected officeholders earlier this year. Milam said that also played a role in his decision.
“I lost my investigator, my top secretary and July 1st I’m set to lose an assistant prosecutor, so it’s not getting any easier, it’s going to get harder,” he said. “That made my decision a little easier.”
The county commission will take applications through June 15 and plan to choose someone by June 30 to finish the last 18 months of Milam’s second term. Commissioner Lyle Neal expects a strong field of applicants. He said Milam would be missed.
“He’s been a super good guy as far as I’m concerned. He’s been pretty fair with the public and especially with the police officers. He’s taken everybody into consideration. That’s a pretty tough job I’d say, having to listen to everybody’s complaints.
Milam, a Nicholas County native, plans to open a private practice in Summersville.