In December of last year, Chattooga County native and Lookout Mountain Superior Court Judge from Catoosa County, Ralph VanPelt announced his retirement.  VanPelt’s retirement before his term of office was finished allowed Georgia Governor Brian Kemp to appoint a new superior court judge to fill the position on the Lookout Mountain Circuit. 

Sources tell WZQZ News that out of field of three candidates, the governor will be appointing current Lookout Mountain District Attorney Chris Arnt.  Arnt attended Mcintosh High School in Peachtree City, Georgia and is a graduate of Tulane University in New Orleans.  He became an Assistant District Attorney in 1992 in the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit. He was hired by Judge Ralph Van Pelt, who was the District Attorney at the time.

Arnt was promoted to Chief Assistant in 2008 for District Attorney Buzz Franklin, making him responsible for overseeing all of the prosecutors in the office. When Franklin retired, Arnt assumed leadership of the office with the support of his fellow lawyers and staff. Soon thereafter, he ran for District Attorney and was elected in November 2020.

With Arnt moving to the superior court bench, Governor Kemp will be appointing a new district attorney for the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit.