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Stephen S. Ogle was named Blount County assistant district attorney general on Monday morning and was sworn in at the Blount County Justice Center.

Ogle is filling the vacancy that was created after Robert Headrick was appointed Blount County General Sessions judge. Headrick was appointed when Judge David R. Duggan was elected to the Circuit Court Judge Division II seat in the Aug. 7 election.

Ogle is the current president of the Blount County Bar Association and is vice chairman of the Blount County Chapter of the American Red Cross.

Ogle said he anticipated to handle a large amount of Headrick's cases, which included most of Blount County's sexual assault cases.

"I would certainly be willing to handle those cases," Ogle said. "Whatever they need me to do is what I'll be doing."

Ogle said he had handled those types of cases in Blount County Juvenile Court, including child abuse cases.

Born and raised in west Knoxville, Ogle graduated from Bearden High School. He graduated from the University of Tennessee and also received his law degree from the UT College of Law.

Straight out of law school, Ogle worked for Crawford, Crawford and Newton Law Firm in Maryville -- where he handled criminal and civil cases. He said the attorneys at that law firm were "important role models" for his career.

In 2002, Ogle moved to Nashville with his wife, Sherry, and practiced law there for five years. He worked on an animal cruelty case which received national interest. Ogle was the attorney for a man accused of kicking a miniature Yorkshire Terrier named "Gizmo" to death.

Ogle and his family -- including his children Sarah, Jake and Joey -- returned to Blount County in 2007 where he has worked solo practicing law.

He said he was approached by an assistant district attorney general and asked if he would be interested in the position at the Blount County Attorney General's Office. He spoke with Flynn and was selected for the job. He was sworn in by Duggan Monday morning.

Ogle said he is "very excited" and "ready to get to work." He said he was looking forward to working for Flynn and with the "great attorneys" at the attorney general's office.

"I'm certainly very flattered for the opportunity to serve our community," he said.