San Luis Obispo County prosecutor Eric Dobroth will be the new second-in-command at the SLO County District Attorney’s Office, replacing retiring Assistant District Attorney Lee Cunningham.

Dobroth, who has served as a SLO County prosecutor for more than 12 years, will take over as assistant DA on Jan. 1, District Attorney Dan Down announced on Wednesday. Dow selected Dobroth from a pool of six internal candidates.

“While Lee leaves big shoes to fill, our office is blessed with a number of exceptionally talented prosecutors who are well qualified to take on this important role,” Dow said. “Eric Dobroth has earned the admiration and respect of his peers, the defense bar and the judges of the superior court because of his strong work ethic, his legal acumen and his sound judgment. I am confident that he will be an outstanding assistant district attorney.”

Dobroth currently serves as the team leader for the Consumer and Environmental Protection/Major Fraud Prosecutorial team. He also chairs the SLO County Environmental Enforcement Group and is the liaison to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, as well as to local, state and federal regulatory agencies.

Previously, Dobroth served as a prosecutor in Ventura County between 1998 and 2005. In Ventura County, he conducted numerous misdemeanor and felony jury trials and prosecuted major crimes and complex white-collar fraud cases. Dobroth was recognized as Ventura County’s Prosecutor of the Year in 2003.

In SLO County, Dobroth has prosecuted several notable cases, including those of Jess Baker-Riley and Ryan Johnson, two robbers whose accomplice was shot and killed during a Los Osos home invasion robbery; Michael Simmons, a convicted child molester who sliced a man’s throat at Mr. Rick’s bar in Avila Beach; and Clifford Scott, Jr., a gang member who shot and wounded a CHP officer following a chase.

Dobroth also handled the Cal Poly football robbery case. In August 2014, five Cal Poly football players attempted to rob a fraternity house that was later revealed to be a location of drug sales.

Each defendant in the case received at least jail time for their convictions. The defendant who spearheaded the robbery attempt and was carrying a firearm received a five-year prison sentence.

Dobroth holds a bachelor’s degree from Oregon State University and a law degree from Lewis and Clark College.