Party leader calls for dismissal and special prosecutor in Loris Zappia case

The chairman of the St. Joseph County Democratic Party says a special prosecutor should decide whether a Republican judicial candidate committed a crime in the recent attack on his brother.

On August 9, Republican candidate for St. Joseph County Probate Court Loris Zappia punched and spat on his brother Len Zappia at his home in Washington, DC, because of an article he saw on Facebook. The brothers live across the street from each other.

Len describes the incident in interviews with county human resources officials but says he does not want criminal charges filed against his brother, according to documents released by the Democratic Party on Monday.

Len is a justice of the peace under Loris' Democratic opponent, Probate Judge Jason Cichowicz. Loris works as an assistant district attorney for Democratic District Attorney Ken Cotter.

Democratic Party leader Diana Hess is calling for the dismissal of Loris Zappia and the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate possible criminal charges.

In a statement, she said: “Loris Zappia has behaved dangerously and the evidence supports the belief that he is receiving special treatment, which certainly creates the impression of a cover-up.”

According to the documents, Loris no longer works for the law firm Anderson Agostino & Keller, and WVPE was unable to reach him Monday.