The Primary Election for Camden County is here once again on August 4 and it’s time for me to write down my picks for the upcoming election. This article is traditionally my most criticized yet most popular topic of the year. There are many good people running for office this year and I’m only going to be discussing the Republican primary election because, when it comes to partisan elected offices, it’s the election that inevitably dictates the winners of the general election.
For Presiding Commissioner: Nick Sherrill.
Sherrill is honest, personable, and has a passion to serve the people of Camden County. He offers a fresh perspective on the issues facing this county, has good ideas, and his election as Presiding Commissioner will give the younger generation of Camden County a chance to lead it.
For County Collector: Lincoln McGuire.
For Recorder of Deeds: Drew Woolfolk.
Continuing the trend of the changing of the guard, it’s become abundantly clear that many county officials have become entrenched in their positions at the courthouse. It’s time to bring in these fresh faces who have new thoughts on how to service the county’s constituents and are not wedded to older, outdated policies.
For County Auditor: Kris Franken.
We currently have an auditor who can’t explain the budget and never audits anyone. Nobody who knows Kris Franken can deny that he is smart enough to comprehend and manage the county’s budget and finances. Those who are nervous about the idea of him winning the Auditor position probably have a reason to be nervous. Kris has also done great work on the current effort to re-write the county’s Unified Land Use Code.
And for Prosecuting Attorney: Richelle Grosvenor.
Grosvenor is an experienced prosecutor and the incumbent.
As for me, I was a law enforcement officer for 29 years. I served as a District Attorney Senior Investigator in the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation for 19 years and retired as a Lieutenant. In those years, I’ve conducted hundreds of investigations and been inside many courtrooms. I’m not running for any office, but please indulge me as I write regarding a few comments I’ve seen people repeating about the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
I occasionally read complaints that the prosecutor “pleads out too many cases.”
The facts are that Camden County is in the 26th Judicial Circuit of Missouri and it includes Camden, Laclede, Miller, Morgan, and Moniteau counties. All felony trials are handled by the three Circuit Judges and they have to travel to each of the county courthouses. Camden County gets 14 weeks reserved on their schedule each year for felony trials. So while Camden County files over 800 felony cases every year, the Camden County prosecutors can only schedule 14 felony trials each year. The prosecutors have no choice but to plead out the majority of their felony cases and this is simply part of the criminal justice system. It would work like this regardless of who was in office.
In fact, some victims and their families are relieved when their case pleads out because then they are spared a grueling trial where they or their loved ones might become the target of a zealous defense.
Another complaint is that the prosecutor “dismisses too many cases.”
Officers arrest suspects based on probable cause and that term simply means that it is probable that the suspect has committed a crime. The prosecutor has a much higher standard when they decide to file charges on the arrested suspect. Their standard is guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. It’s not unusual for prosecutors to decline to file charges on an arrested suspect because there simply isn’t enough evidence to bridge the gap between those two standards.
Once charges do get filed, the case against the defendant is usually dismissed for one of these reasons:
- Crucial evidence is suppressed because it was illegally seized or mishandled.
- Victims or critical witnesses become uncooperative.
- The facts that were used as a probable cause basis for the filing changed as discovery is reviewed.
- Criminal depositions reveal information that was previously unknown.
- A witness is compromised or “implodes” on the witness stand.
Sometimes the prosecution’s case can overcome these setbacks, but the one common theme with all of them is: they have nothing to do with the prosecutor. In fact, as long as jeopardy has not attached, a dismissal of a case doesn’t mean it can’t be investigated further and re-filed.
The lone challenger to Grosvenor is Lynn Brand. She is currently the attorney for the Camden County Sheriff’s Office. One of her recent mailers described Brand as an “experienced prosecutor.”
This is a lie.
Brand has admitted publicly that she has never been a prosecutor. Even as a criminal defense attorney, she has never participated in a single criminal bench or jury trial. Brand has never picked a jury or received a jury verdict.
It’s quite possible that the big money PAC that paid for her mailers simply assumed she was an experienced prosecutor because they thought nobody in their right mind would ever try and run as the Prosecuting Attorney of a 1st Class County with absolutely zero experience as a prosecutor.
Can you blame them? Imagine if you hired a defense attorney and with your future on the line, you show up for your trial and your attorney whispers nervously to you, “I’ve never done one of these trial whats-its before.”
So I’m voting for Grosvenor over Brand.
Extensive Experience over No Experience.
Among the Dogwoods 