EPHRATA — Kevin McCrae, a Grant County Chief Deputy Prosecutor and Moses Lake resident, has declared his candidacy for Grant County Superior Court Judge, in the seat currently held by Judge John D. Knodell.

McCrae has been a Grant County deputy prosecutor for the past 10 years. He is currently the chief deputy prosecuting attorney for civil and appellate cases and has been the county’s lead appellate attorney since 2012. McCrae has argued more than 60 cases in the Court of Appeals and the Washington State Supreme Court and has completed 40 jury trials.

In Grant County Superior Court, McCrae has served as a gang specialist and has prosecuted both juvenile and adult felonies. Recently, McCrae was the lead prosecutor on both murder trials for Gustavo Tapia Rodriguez, who was convicted for the murder of 31-year-old Quincy mother of four Jill Sundberg and 28-year-old Othello resident Arturo Sosa in 2016.

Before becoming an attorney, McCrae served nine years in the United States Navy, leaving the armed forces with the rank of lieutenant commander after three deployments to the Middle East, according to a press release.

In a brief interview Monday, McCrae said that he was running to make the court run more effectively, saying that Knodell currently has to be recused frequently from criminal cases.

“He’s had some issues that need to be addressed,” McCrae said. “We do definitely need a change at the judge position.”

McCrae, who said he wasn’t sure whether Knodell was planning on running for re-election, declined to elaborate Monday. Knodell’s office did not respond to a request for comment before deadline.

McCrae has received endorsements from all three Grant County commissioners as well as County Prosecutor Garth Dano, Sheriff Tom Jones, Mattawa Police Chief Joe Harris and Moses Lake Police Chief Kevin Fuhr, according to the press release.

Emry Dinman can be reached via email at edinman@columbiabasinherald.com.