Education
Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and Political Science Washburn Univ. Juris Doctorate in Law Washburn Univ.
Community/Public Service
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Personal Biography
Vanessa has extensive jury trial experience from her 25 years of practicing in the criminal justice system as both a prosecutor and defense attorney. Vanessa began her career in Johnson County as an Assistant District Attorney, where she spent over 21 years working as a tireless advocate for victims of crime. She left the District Attorney’s Office in 2021 to work in the Johnson County-based law firm of Bath & Edmonds, PC.
Education
She graduated from Bethel College with Accounting and Business Administration degrees and worked as an accountant prior to attending law school at Washburn University in Topeka, KS.
Community/Public Service
Secretary of the Cy Middleton Memorial Benefit Fund, Inc., Former member of Johnson County's Community Violence Action Council, former member of Attorney General's Elder and Dependent Adult Abuse Prevention Council
21 years as an Assistant District Attorney as well as my current practice as a criminal defense attorney provides vast experience on both sides of the courtroom. I was the supervisor of the Economic Crime Unit where I worked to increase the awareness, prevention and prosecution of elder abuse in our community and State. I prosecuted several high-profile crimes to include the She’s A Pistol gun store homicide, the Roxy Bar homicide and Mr. G’s Liquor Store homicide. I have built strong relationships within the criminal justice community and can utilize these relationships to move the District Attorney’s Office from a place of isolation to one of transparency and to increase the safety of our community.
1) Rebuild the specialty units within the office so the most violent crimes and dangerous offenders are prosecuted by experienced and skilled prosecutors. The current DA changed the structure of the office in 2020 that caused a decreased emphasis on specialty units and created a more "generalist" type of prosecution.
2) Build training and mentoring programs to address the lack of experience in the office as 40% of the prosecutors in office have less than 5 years of experience - this is essential to ensure cases are properly handled and to promote equal justice
3) Review and modify diversion and plea guidelines to ensure the office is appropriately addressing the needs of individuals with mental health issues and substance abuse disorders
Key component of this question is the type of crime involved in the case - a high-level/violent crime versus a low level nonviolent or drug possession type case . I believe the current DA overcharges cases and files many cases that should not be charged against juveniles. Pre-file diversions, pre-file dispositions and MIP programs should be utilized when possible to avoid collateral consequences to juveniles when applying for college, scholarships, jobs, etc. Diversion should be utilized for first time adult offenders with an emphasis on mental health diversion or drug diversions when appropriate.
K.S.A. 22-4609 prohibits racial or other biased-based policing in Kansas. When a case of this nature is brought to my attention I will be involved in the review and disposition of the case along with other members of my management team. Violations of this statute will be appropriately addressed as to the specific case and law enforcement agency.
Charging decisions will take into consideration the competency of the accused versus letting it "play out" in court. Mental health treatment will be a priority and case outcomes will take into consideration the collateral consequences of felony convictions on housing options, employment, etc. for those impacted by mental health challenges.
