Tamara's Record

My record over the course of nearly four years is made up of so many individual cases that it would be impossible to summarize them in any coherent fashion. Also, with five full-time attorneys and one part-time attorney, each prosecutor has their own unique cases and special memories of victims served. For an overall view of our caseloads, please visit the statistics page, as numbers will tell the story clearly and without gloss or spin.

However, there is one case that stands out in my mind, and serves as a good example of the differences between my office and the prior administration. A bright young woman, newly married, came to visit me early on in my first year in office. She came with a State Police investigator and explained that she had been sexually abused by an uncle nearly 12 years ago. It had occurred only one time, but had burdened her mind and heart all that time until finally erupting in the first few months of her newly married life. She had never told anyone until she confided in her new husband one night.

The Investigator explained that the case had been presented to the prior administration but they chose not to prosecute it. Perhaps it just seemed too old, or too difficult to prove as there were no eye witnesses and she waited so long to tell anyone about it. I took the case and ultimately won it before a Buchanan County jury. After returning the guilty verdict, the jury sentenced the defendant to 25 years - twice the time she had been burdened by his act. As this man was in his 50s at the time of his conviction, he is not likely to live to be released. Meanwhile, this young woman has gone on to continue her schooling by entering a master's program in psychology and was doing well the last time we spoke.

Each case brings a unique set of facts and people, and what brings success in one circumstance may not be guaranteed in another. But I stand ready to always evaluate a case's strengths and weaknesses and make the best out of all situations. The ability to evaluate and adapt to changing circumstances and a willingness to never just blindly embrace accepted ways of thinking are some of the greatest strengths of my office.

Community Action

• Established Crime Tips Hotline - (276) 935-6574
• Designed and launched the Report Your Local Dealer Tips newspaper ad
• Designed and launched the Report Your Local Marijuana Patch newspaper ad
• Designed and launched the Buchanan County Wanted bulletins
• Orders of Interdiction to stop the sale of alcohol to repeat offenders
• Getting EMT workers certified with the court for blood draws to aid in obtaining blood samples at crash scenes before persons are transported outside of the state lines, and local jurisdiction.
• Organized the first Anti-drug rally and walk. Continued similar efforts all three years, with the most recent being co-sponsored by Healing in the Hills.

Administrative Changes

While this isn't the most glamorous part of prosecution, it is a vital part of running an effective office. A prosecutor without an effective office will never win a case.

• Obtaining rights and licenses to access VCIN and NCIC records in office rather than burdening Dispatch and wasting days waiting for reports
• Obtain and implement case management software to aid in document preparation and deadline tracking
• Written Employee Manual
• Elimination of comp pay for attorneys
• Control of comp pay for non-attorneys to no more than 40 hours
• Posting of Labor and Employment posters as required by law
• Total physical overhaul of the office and filing system
• Upgrade in the computer network and security of digital documents
• Creation of a COOP plan with all vital records being accessible offsite in cases of catastrophe or building demolition
• Vertical prosecution, allowing the same prosecutor to stay with a case from lower court into the circuit court
• Extended hours of operation to be more accessible to the public. Hours now are 7:45 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. except Friday when we close at 5 p.m.