VOTE411 Voter Guide

The Prosecuting Attorney holds one of the most powerful positions in our justice system -deciding who gets charged, what the sentence should be, and whether someone deserves prison or a second chance. The prosecutor sets the tone for public safety, accountability, and justice for the entire county.

I bring a holistic perspective shaped by experience across the criminal justice system. I've worked an investigation as a detective. My family has suffered the tragedy of my law enforcement sister’s murder, so I know all too well how it feels to be the victim. And I’ve tried countless cases. That insight helps me to approach prosecution in a comprehensive manner that will make our cities safer for everyone. I’ve heard from voters across Pulaski and Perry Counties, and they want a Prosecutor’s Office they can trust. One that is accountable and holds criminals accountable. I am committed to doing just that.

My first priority as Prosecutor will be listening to the attorneys, staff, law enforcement partners, and the community, and restore the office to the honor and dignity it has long represented. I will meet with our current prosecutors and staff to perform a thorough internal assessment of the office, review the current caseload and evaluate our strengths, to ensure we are prosecuting cases effectively. I will determine what the most pressing needs are so that we restore trust and improve morale in the office. Ensuring we have a healthy office environment with experienced, committed prosecutors will translate to winning trials and getting violent criminals off our streets.

To pursue justice fairly and equally, promote public safety and uphold and defend the constitution and laws of the State of Arkansas.

I have been a prosecutor since graduating law school in 2001. I have handled thousands of cases with over 150 jury trials conducted. In the past three years I have managed an office of 120 employees with 54 deputy prosecutors. We made several upgrades in technology to promote swifter justice and improve efficiency. We also improved our training programs to ensure better advocacy. We reduced the Covid backlog by almost 5000. We reduced our homicide case load from over 250 down to just over 100. We improved our relationship with law enforcement to ensure cases are better from both ends of the investigation. We now work on prevention and intervention so that less families are impacted by violence and less people are committing crimes.

We are in the assessment phase of Group Violence Intervention which is a strategy that works to suppress violence in our community. It has been implemented in cities all over the country with tremendous success. Pine Bluff recently went over 550 days without a juvenile homicide by embracing GVI. After working diligently for over two years to secure funding, we are successfully moving forward with this strategy over the next year.

We also will be announcing the Arkansas Criminal Intelligence Network soon. The first of its kind real time data sharing network will revolutionize the way law enforcement investigation are conducted in the State of Arkansas. It will be housed in our office and administered by our Chief of Investigations.