Position/philosophy statement
My philosophy is summed up in this quote: "The citizen's safety lies in the prosecutor who tempers zeal with human kindness, who seeks truth and not victims, who serves the law and not factional purposes, and who approaches his task with humility."
Current Occupation
District Attorney
Age (optional)
56
Campaign Phone
828-429-7221
As District Attorney, I am proud of the results we have achieved. We have had the highest per capita conviction rate in the entire state every year for the last 4 years- 3 times the state average. We have sent over 100 drug dealers to prison just in the last four years, and achieved the longest sentences in the history of our district for drug dealers - up to 47 years in prison! We sent 10 drug dealers to prison for Death by Distribution in 2025 alone - the most in the state! We have sent 750 criminals to prison for breaking into our homes. And we have achieved the longest sentences in the history of our district for child sexual predators - numerous sentences over 100 years, going as high as 175 years in prison for these monsters.
The most important issue we face on behalf of our community is the rampant drug problem. We work closely with law enforcement to address this issue head-on. Our office and law enforcement worked as a team to initiate the first “wire” drug conspiracy cases in western North Carolina. As a result we were able to lock up scores of our worst drug dealers. We work closely with numerous local organizations to get treatment for the drug users we deal with, but come down like a hammer on the drug dealers. As noted above, we have sent over 100 to prison just in the last four years for drug trafficking, and have achieved the longest sentences in the history of our district for these dealers - prison sentences of up to 47 years.
We work closely with local organizations to get treatment for the drug users we deal with, and have worked with several advisors on securing funding for a more formal drug court program. Unfortunately, with all of the courts currently being held - Criminal District, Traffic, Juvenile, DSS, Civil District, Domestic Violence, Criminal Superior, Civil Superior, etc., there is not enough courtroom availability to launch another court. However, with the current courthouse renovations and courtroom addition, and the possibility of funding for the necessary personnel, we have hopes for such a program in the foreseeable future.
With increased funding to the district's court system, including additional judges and prosecutors, we could increase the number of trial terms available in each county. This would significantly improve the backlog we have been working down since the court system was shut down for a year for Covid. we came out of the shutdown in 2021 with a backlog of 1,800 cases. We worked it down to 1,600 in 2022, 1,400 in 2023, and have continued to work it down to its current level of 1,100 cases. However, we are only allocated less than 60 days of trials per county per year because of limited court space and judge availability. Additional funding would make a significant difference in eliminating the Covid backlog.
In addition to our focus on drug crimes and child sexual predators, we also put a significant emphasis on property crimes. Your home is your sanctuary. It’s the safe place for you and your family. But when a criminal breaks into your home they take more than just your belongings, they take that feeling of safety and security from you. And there is no excuse for it – everyone over the age of five knows that is wrong. That is why we have a zero-tolerance policy on breaking and entering – if a criminal breaks into your house we demand they go to prison, and since I took office we have sent over 750 people to prison for doing just that.
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