DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) – Macon County’s state’s attorney has announced plans to step down at the end of his current term.

Jay Scott first took on the job when county citizens elected him in 2012. He’s served for 34 years as a prosecutor and worked in the state’s attorney’s office for 32 of them. Scott says the decision to move on from the position in November 2020 stems from a desire to be focused on life at home.

“I have worked very hard since elected to improve the office, to protect the public, and to obtain justice for crime victims,” Scott said in a Monday press release. “I now plan to be engaged in a manner that will allow me to spend more time with those who mean the most to me – my family.”

Scott listed a number of accomplishments from his time in office that he’s proud of. He says his team brought “a new level of professionalism, ethics and public service” to the state’s attorney role.

His list of accomplishments includes, but isn’t limited to, the following:

Creating the Elderly Victims Crime Unit – Scott says his office has worked to stop people who prey on senior citizens. An elderly crime victim advocate began work assisting seniors through prosecution and working on cases, and an elder fraud hotline worked to keep people from becoming scam victims.

Working under budget – Scott says he reduced the budget in his office by over $302,000. The size of his staff dropped from 48 to 32 people and each fiscal year ended under budget.

Sex crime prosecution – Conviction rates in jury trials related to sex crimes went up by 203 percent, according to Scott’s press release.

Fighting domestic violence – Macon County has addressed a trend of what Scott called “far too many incidents” of domestic violence, creating a domestic violence victim advocate position to lower the number of victims.

Scott concluded his message by saying he’s thankful to supporters who entrusted him with the role of Macon County state’s attorney. He says he will continue to work hard as his final term moves on.

“Since I joined the office in 1988, there has never been a day when I woke up and had the feeling that I didn’t want to go to work,” he said. “It has been fun. I pledge to continue working hard for the citizens of Macon County, continuing to find ways to improve the office and the services it provides to the community, until my final day on the job.”