About Your Prosecutor

PROSECUTOR CONNIE J. LEWANDOWSKI

 Connie Jean Lewandowski, formerly Connie J. Haslinger, brings more than 35 years of distinguished legal experience to the Portage County Office of the Prosecuting Attorney.  A seasoned litigator and respected leader in Ohio’s criminal justice system, Lewandowski has built a career defined by integrity, service, and an unwavering commitment to justice.

Lewandowski holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Kent State University and earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Akron School of Law.  She began her legal career internationally, working in London England, at the historic Inns of Court.   There, she assisted barristers in representing indigent clients charged with criminal offenses, laying the foundation for her lifelong commitment to public service.

Lewandowski then served in the Franklin County Public Defender’s Office advocating for the rights of the accused.  She later joined the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office where she spent 17 years serving under four elected prosecutors and rose to the position of Chief Criminal Prosecutor.  She continued her prosecutorial career in Portage County for another 17 years, where she became the lead litigator in the Major Crimes Unit.      

Over the span of her career, Lewandowski has prosecuted thousands of high-level felony cases, including capital murders, homicides, aggravated arsons, rapes, child and elder abuse, white collar crimes, RICO cases, and large-scale drug trafficking offenses.  Her work has brought justice in some of the most challenging and high-profile cases, including those featured on America’s Most Wanted and Forensic Files.  

Lewandowski is widely recognized for her dedication to law enforcement and victims of crime.  She has received numerous accolades, including the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association Prosecutor of the Year Award in 2003, the University of Akron School of Law Honored Attorney Award in 2005, and the Litigator of Excellence Award from the Akron Police Department in 2007.  She was twice honored for her Outstanding Efforts in OVI Enforcement.  In 2024, she was featured as a Notable Woman in Law by Crain’s Cleveland Business and received the prestigious William Schenck Victim Justice Visionary Award of Distinction. 

Now serving as the Portage County elected Prosecutor, as well as serving on the prestigious Legislative Committee for the State of Ohio and the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association, Connie Lewandowski continues her mission to uphold justice with fairness, firmness, and compassion. Her decades of experience, trial excellence, and victim-centered advocacy make her one of the most respected prosecuting attorneys in the State of Ohio.