Letter: Victims should be priority when selecting District Attorney

As the lead prosecutor, a District Attorney’s priorities are two: 1) justice and 2) victims. Only one candidate for District Attorney understands this, Mark Krueger. Mr. Krueger has experience. He successfully prosecuted dozens of jury trials involving the family of murder victims, sexual assault victims, and children victims.

Mr. Krueger understands the importance of victim-witness services and has created new for victims and witness such as the District Attorney’s Witness Guide (DAWG) program, a program adopted throughout the country that uses dogs to assist victims and witnesses in need.

Mr. Krueger’s opponent, Mr. Woodbury, does not understand victims’ issues:

First, Mr. Woodbury, after talking to Carson Tahoe Hospital (CTH) (who obviously is subjective), has decided that transporting sexual assault victims over 30 minutes to Washoe County is appropriate. This is a heartless uncaring point of view. Imagine if your wife, daughter, niece, or loved one was sexually assaulted, she/he goes to CTH, and is told, “Get in that car and drive 30 minutes to receive your exam.”

Such an attitude should not be acceptable to anyone in Carson City, but it is to Mr. Woodbury. Mr. Woodbury also fails to understand that CTH receives full reimbursement from the government for exams conducted by them, so, there is no monetary loss. He also fails to understand that the D.A.’s Office, Sheriff’s Office and the A.G.’s Office has worked with CTH to train 6 nurses on sexual assault exams, yet, those nurses report leaving CTH because CTH refuses to create protocols to use their talents. As Sheriff Furlong stated, “We treat prisoners better than sexual assault victims.” Mr. Woodbury thinks this is acceptable. Mr. Krueger does not think that is acceptable for Carson City and neither should you.

Second, Mr. Woodbury’s booth at the Taste of Downtown was manned by two attorneys from the Public Defender’s Office. One member recently violated a no contact order and sent a letter from her client to an 80-year old victim who was terrified at receiving the letter. Woodbury complains on his website about delays in prosecuting cases involving child victims, but the cause of an overwhelming majority of these continuances are by the same defense attorneys that support him.

Indeed, the outburst by the child victim Woodbury cites on his website, when one actually reads the transcript of the proceedings shows not only was the continuance at the request of the defendant and over the objection of the District Attorney, but the continuance was requested by the very attorney from the Public Defender’s Office who is listed on Woodbury’s website as supporter. Yet, Woodbury would make you believe that the District Attorney’s Office is the cause for such delays?

Another supporter of Woodbury listed on his website has recently been arrested and charged with destruction of property. Another defense lawyer who supports Mr. Woodbury was recently charged for a drunken altercation with a peace officer. Do the people of Carson City want their District Attorney elected by these types of defense lawyers?

Third, speaking of delayed justice, Mr. Woodbury refused to prosecute a pedophile sex offender over 8 years years ago. However, just this week, Mr. Krueger successfully convicted this pedophile and brought justice to his latest victim. Mr. Woodbury’s failure to prosecute this pedophile over 8 years ago changed this latest victim’s life forever and resulted in at least 3 other victims’ lives being changed forever. Carson City deserves a District Attorney who will vigorously prosecute these cases. A prosecutor that understands best practice is when victims report such heinous acts they are to be believed by law enforcement not ignored and that candidate is Mark Krueger.

Finally, Mr. Woodbury lacks experience. He only has 2 and ½ years as a prosecutor and public lawyer. He has never prosecuted jury trials in murder cases, sex crimes, or capital cases. His experience comes from a past D.A.’s administration that routinely reduced domestic batteries and routinely reduced felonies to misdemeanors. He believes the D.A.’s victim-witness services duplicates responsibilities. When asked about the new DAWG program at the Soroptomist debate, he stated being D.A. is about prosecuting crimes not dogs. This attitude proves his lack of understanding.

The D.A.’s victim-witness services has been lauded nationally by such organizations as the Red Cross, programs like DAWG are used in over half the country, and what these services have been proven to do is increase prosecution and support victims.

Mr. Woodbury doesn’t get it, and Carson City deserves someone who does, Mr. Krueger for District Attorney.

Neil A. Rombardo, District Attorney