SKOWHEGAN — William Bagadoyan, assistant district attorney for Somerset and Kennebec counties for the past 15 years, will be leaving that position in July to join the attorney general’s staff.

Attorney General Andrew Ketterer confirmed Thursday that Bagadoyan will be joining the Criminal Division of his office on July 15.

“It was a position for a tough-nosed, no-nonsense prosecutor. That’s Bill,” said Ketterer.

During a break in court action Thursday, Bagadoyan said he had lost track of the thousands of cases he has handled for Somerset and Kennebec counties but estimated the number of jury trials he personally handled at between 250 and 300. He has also presented 50 cases to the law court.

Bagadoyan has been with the Somerset/Kennebec County District Attorney’s Office for 15 years, five in Kennebec County and 10 as the top prosecutor in Somerset County.

Ketterer said Bagadoyan will prosecute state income tax cases, fraud cases, sales tax violations and similar actions. “I’m really looking forward to it,” said Ketterer.

In 1981, when Bagadoyan graduated from the University of Maine law school, said Ketterer, he applied to Ketterer’s Norridgewock law firm. “I didn’t hire him and shortly after that, Dave Crook hired him. I therefore got to work with him throughout the 1980s when I was doing a fair amount of defense work in Somerset County. I was on one side and he was on the other.

“I knew he was a very capable trial lawyer and kept that in the back of my mind,” said Ketterer. “I think he will be a great addition to the staff.”

Somerset County District Attorney David Crook said, “I’m sure Bill will hit the ground running. It is a very good opportunity for him and right down his alley.” Crook said another prosecutor has been offered Bagadoyan’s position and has accepted. He declined to identify the person until others had been notified.

Bagadoyan said he has really liked working in Somerset County and has made some lifelong friends, but that the shorter commute from his Vassalboro home to Augusta will “simplify my family life. I’m looking forward to the change.”

“There will be plenty of work to do,” he added. Bagadoyan’s prosecution of tax fraud cases will “be a different taste for me. The idea is to more aggressively pursue these kinds of cases.”

Ketterer said that one of the problems in state government is the tendency to hire entry-level people in an effort to save money. “It may be cheaper, but it is not necessarily the best move. I’m trying to bring the private practice philosophy to the AG’s office of looking for the most qualified person.”