The Montezuma County Republicans have officially nominated local lawyer Joe Olt as their candidate for district attorney. He will challenge incumbent Democrat Mike Green in the November general election.

Olt, 53, has had his own law practice in Cortez since 1994, focusing mostly on civil cases with an emphasis on family law. He has a diverse background, working in the construction trade in southern California, as a high-school teacher, and as an instructor and grant-writer for the Shiprock Alternative School and Navajo Academy.

A Fort Lewis College graduate, Olt earned a law degree from the Southwest University School of Law in Los Angeles in 1977, but did not begin practicing until 1994, when he passed the Colorado Bar exam on the first attempt. In May of this year, Olt also passed the bar exam for the Navajo Nation. He is a 13-year resident of Cortez, and a father of five children.

Olt, a Republican, was chosen by a nominating committee Monday.