DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A veteran county prosecutor based in Waterloo is stepping down to take a state job in charge of training county attorneys across Iowa. Black Hawk County Attorney Thomas Ferguson will begin June 30 as the state’s prosecuting attorneys training coordinator and executive director of the Iowa County Attorneys Association.

He’ll retire the same day from the elected county position he’s held since 1990. Ferguson, a Democrat, was re-elected to a seventh four-year term last year. Attorney General Tom Miller announced Ferguson’s new appointment Wednesday. He says Ferguson’s expertise and experience will be a huge asset to prosecutors in Iowa’s 99 counties.

Ferguson’s state job will involve providing support, continuing education and training for prosecutors and their assistants. He replaces Corwin Ritchie, who is retiring.