MOULTRIE — Moultrie attorney Rick Collum was sworn in as associate magistrate judge Monday afternoon.

Collum said it was an honor to serve as Colquitt County’s second associate magistrate, a position created by Chief Magistrate Judge J.J. McMillan. Collum will serve as judge on an as-needed basis, and his appointment comes at no additional cost to the county.

McMillan said Collum contacted his office offering to donate a day a week to the Magistrate Court, and McMillan took him up on the offer. The appointment will allow the Magistrate Court to be more streamlined and provide a third judge without extra cost, he said.

Collum will be used primarily for more complex cases using his resources, McMillan said. He will also provide greater opportunity for a fair and impartial ruling by allowing McMillan and Associate Magistrate Judge Martha Gray to step away from cases in which they know either or both parties involved.

Collum said the appointment will not interfere with his job as a private-practice attorney, as he practices primarily in Federal Court. He will be available to the Magistrate Court more than one day a week if needed.

Collum served as a deputy U.S. Marshal and was the chief of the asset and forfeiture unit in Cleveland, Ohio. He has also served as a legal instructor at the Federal Law Enforcement Center in Brunswick and was a law clerk for the chief federal judge of the Middle District of Georgia in Albany.

Collum is currently in private practice at the Collum Law Firm in Moultrie, he said. He also serves as a special assistant attorney general for the state of Georgia and is a legal instructor for the Peace Officer Standards and Training Council.