Etowah County District Attorney Jimmie Harp died today in a Birmingham hospital, according to family and associates.

Harp, 49, had served two terms as district attorney after his election to the post in 2004. Prior to that, he had worked for 10 years in the district attorney’s office.

Earlier this year, he had announced he planned to seek another term, but was beginning treatments for cancer. Harp was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2007, but went on to win re-election unopposed in 2010 after successful treatments.

“It has been such an honor to have grown up in Etowah County and been blessed to have been able to return to my hometown and come to a job that I look forward to being at every day,” he said in an announcement at the time.

Harp was a 1988 graduate of the University of Alabama and a 1991 graduate of the Cumberland School of Law. He is survived by his wife and four children.
Harp cited the formation of the Etowah County Drug Enforcement Unit and the Zerometh anti-drug campaign as among his proudest achievements.

Zerometh was an education and advertising campaign with images of meth users to illustrate the dangers of the drug. Harp got the campaign started through the Alabama District Attorneys Association.

In one of his last courtroom appearances in March, Harp won a conviction in the capital murder trial of Joyce Hardin Garrard, the Etowah County woman accused of forcing her 9-year-old granddaughter Savannah Hardin to run until she collapsed and later died.

Earlier this year, Harp began chemotherapy and regularly gave updates on his condition, even posting pictures during procedures and rehab. As his condition worsened, friends, family and supporters regularly posted get well wishes on his Facebook page, as well as on a “Praying for Jimmie” page.

Etowah County Sheriff Todd Entrekin said he worked with Harp for more than 20 years, calling his dedication to people “unwavering.”

“Jimmie Harp was a great district attorney who fought hard prosecuting thousands of cases for the citizens of Etowah County,” Entrekin said. “He will be greatly missed by the Etowah County Sheriff’s Office, employees of the District Attorney’s Office and citizens of Etowah County. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this difficult time.”

U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville) said Harp’s “absence will be deeply felt.”

“It is heartbreaking to hear the news of Jimmie’s passing,” Aderholt said. “Jimmie was always looking out for the people of Etowah County and working to make sure those who broke the law were punished.”