New Judge Making Move From Bar to Bench

Staff Report | March 4, 2025

A man wearing a navy blue blazer, white dress shirt, and red tie.

Dennis Barr

A new judge has been selected to fill the empty seat on the Canton Municipal Court.

Long-time Stark County assistant prosecutor Dennis Barr will take the bench on March 10, replacing Judge Curt Werren who left for the Stark County Probate Court earlier this year.

Both judges were appointed to their new roles by Gov. Mike DeWine.

Barr has spent the last 40 years practicing as an attorney. He first began working for the Samuel J. Ferruccio Law Firm in Canton in January 1985. Later that year, he took his first assistant prosecuting position at the Hardin County Prosecutor’s Office. From 1987 until 1988, he served as the county’s head prosecutor. In 1989, Barr joined the Stark County Prosecutor's Office, where he became chief of the criminal division.

Barr, who resides in Canton, earned his bachelor's degree in history from Ohio Northern University in 1981 and stayed to complete his juris doctorate in 1984 from the Petit College of Law.

To retain his seat, he must run for election in November.