In 2024, the Scott County Attorney’s Office convicted only 23% of misdemeanor domestic assault cases and 29% of felony domestic assault cases. Since 2020, Scott County has averaged a 26% conviction rate for misdemeanor domestic assault cases. This is unacceptable.

If I am elected, I will make the following changes to improve these conviction rates:

Faster charging decisions

Domestic violence cases must be investigated and charged quickly. It is important to support victims from the beginning to ensure their safety and to effectively prosecute the case.

• Prosecutors must decide whether to charge a domestic assault case within 7 days of receiving police reports.

• If a prosecutor declines to file charges, they must attempt to contact the victim first.

• If a prosecutor files domestic assault charges, they must contact the victim as soon as possible and no later than 7 days after filing.

Faster court scheduling

Domestic violence cases must be heard on an expedited basis to ensure the ongoing safety of the victim and appropriate supervision of the offender. I will work with court administration to dedicate courtroom space and time to handle domestic violence cases more quickly. This will connect victims with support early on, which increases the likelihood they will be able to testify at trial.

More support for victims

The County Attorney’s Office currently has only three victim advocates, with unreasonably heavy caseloads. Scott County is experiencing rapid growth and development. To support current victim advocates, the County Attorney’s Office must also partner with community resources such as Southern Valley Alliance. This ensures domestic violence victims receive support and services while remaining engaged in the prosecution of their abuser.

Better training for prosecutors

Prosecutors in Scott County are not adequately trained to handle cases in which victims do not testify in domestic violence cases. If elected, all prosecutors handling domestic violence cases will be trained on how to prosecute these offenses even without a victim’s testimony. This will help prevent cases from being dismissed or reduced to lesser charges.

Right now, the Scott County Attorney’s Office is failing domestic violence victims due to a lack of support and engagement. This has led to an unacceptably low conviction rate for domestic violence crimes in our community. Early intervention to support victims of domestic violence is required to ensure their ongoing safety and to ensure offenders are held accountable.

Source of data:
https://mncourts.gov/help-topics/court-statistics/publications-and-reports/district-court-criminal-charges-data

Treatment courts are proven to be one of the most successful ways to help people in the justice system change their lives and return to the community. These courts closely monitor participants while also ensuring they receive necessary services and support. These programs help veterans, people with mental health needs, and people dealing with drug or alcohol problems.

Participants in these programs must attend court several times each month and meet frequently with a probation officer. Police also visit them at home to check in and make sure they are complying with the court’s orders. This close support helps catch problems early and gets people the help they need before additional crime can be committed.

Treatment courts use the risk of jail to ensure participants are active in services like therapy and treatment. The team also provides additional services such as employment, housing, education assistance, and obtaining a driver’s license. This support makes it less likely a participant will reoffend.

Scott County’s Drug Court and Veterans Court have shown that these programs work. If elected, I will bring back Drug Court and Veterans Court while working to expand these programs. When I was a prosecutor in Scott County, I helped create Veterans Treatment Court. I have shown that I can help build these programs, which have changed the lives of Scott County residents while increasing public safety.

In 2022, the current county attorney said he did not support expanding treatment courts but committed to protecting Veterans Court and Drug Court. Today, Scott County Veterans Court no longer exists and Drug Court will no longer exist at the end of this year.

Despite categorizing my work to create Veterans Court as simply “checking boxes,” my opponent failed to have anyone in his office check those boxes to ensure ongoing funding for these programs.

For additional information on treatment courts see https://www.nadcp.org/treatment-courts-work

If elected, I will combine three divisions of the office: Juvenile Delinquency (crime), Child Protection, and Child Support. These will become one division called the Children and Families Division (CFD). Staff in CFD will specialize in juvenile development and rehabilitation but will also be skilled in juvenile prosecution.

Many children in the justice system have multiple cases, due to no fault of their own. These children are often left without basic necessities such as food, shelter, and education, which leads to their involvement in the justice system. Putting these systems together allows staff to work as a team to address all these needs. It also helps probation officers and social workers work more closely to support kids in our community.

Sometimes, helping a child avoid the justice system isn’t possible, especially when public safety is a concern. In those cases, CFD staff must be able to handle cases in court. They must know how to handle juvenile trials, cases where parents harm their children or place them in danger, and cases where older teenagers may be tried as adults. Ensuring the staff handling these cases are experts in their field will improve long-term outcomes.

These changes will ultimately save taxpayer money. Right now, services are repeated for the same child in different systems. By combining these services into one system, we can divert resources to address other issues such as victim services and domestic violence.

Children are the most vulnerable members of our community. It is critical for the County Attorney’s Office to give justice-involved children the best possible opportunity to avoid becoming lifelong offenders. Creating CFD will give these kids a better chance to grow into responsible adults, while also ensuring effective prosecution of those who are legitimate threats to public safety.

In the past, the Scott County Attorney’s Office has not focused enough on its youth divisions. Management and office culture have minimized the role of juvenile attorneys and support staff.

When I first became a lawyer, I followed this path. I was assigned to the juvenile division and told I would move to adult cases after gaining experience.

The danger with this approach is that juvenile cases can be very serious. They can be as minor as a tobacco ticket, but as serious as assault and sex crimes. I was thrown into jury trials for serious sex crimes before I had even tried a simple case like theft or disorderly conduct.

Attorneys who work in the Children and Families Division must have experience in many fields, including domestic violence and sex crimes, but must also understand child protection and child support cases.

The Children and Families Division will not be used as a training ground for new attorneys. Attorneys and staff in CFD will need to have a passion for the safety and welfare of children.

The treatment court model of prosecution and the Children and Families Division (CFD) will only work with cooperation from other county agencies. The County Attorney’s Office decides when someone enters the justice system, but rehabilitating that person takes skills, abilities, and resources not currently found within that office.

Many people end up in the justice system because they do not have their basic needs met.

Some people do not have stable housing. Others are unable to get a job. Many struggle with drug or alcohol use or have mental health needs that are not treated. These people make up most of the justice system.

Scott County Human Services helps these people. They figure out which services people need and connect them to them. The County Attorney’s Office must work closely with Human Services to ensure people get the help they need and do not commit future offenses.

Supervision is also very important. Community Corrections provides supervision of Scott County residents on probation. They ensure people follow probation conditions and engage with the services they need.

The County Attorney’s Office must work closely with both Human Services and Community Corrections. Strong teamwork between these agencies is key to helping people succeed and keeping the community safe.

Recruiting and retaining skilled workers is critical for the Scott County Attorney’s Office. Nearby counties, like Hennepin and Dakota, pay higher salaries than Scott County. The county attorney cannot raise salaries alone. The county board must approve any increases.

An effective county attorney can lobby the board for more funding by presenting specific requests with data and evidence to support the need. Even with these efforts, Scott County may still have a hard time competing with salaries in larger counties. Because of this, the office must create opportunities for employees that may not exist elsewhere. It is also important that every worker feels valued and respected. No recommendation, new idea, or criticism should be ignored just because of who shared it.

I left Scott County to work in Hennepin County because I witnessed many of these problems in the office. I talked with more experienced attorneys and others who had the same concerns. When I met with office leaders, including the current county attorney, to share these concerns, I was treated with hostility and disrespect, and my ideas were dismissed because I was a young attorney without seniority in the office.

This should not happen in a modern workplace. Every employee in the County Attorney’s Office is a talented professional dedicated to the justice system. Each of these employees interacts with the justice system in different ways and can provide valuable feedback about necessary changes.

Many county attorney offices recruit law clerks from the three local law schools to help reduce the heavy workload on prosecutors. Law clerks are law students who help handle hearings, conduct legal research, and assist with writing legal memos. If elected, I will also grow the law clerk program.

A larger law clerk program will also help students learn how the Scott County Attorney’s Office works, which is intended to encourage them to apply for jobs after they graduate.

As a former law clerk in Scott County, I was proud to serve my community. When I became a lawyer, I wanted to work here. Because of my experience as a clerk, I was ready to start right away.

The County Attorney’s Office should do more to recruit law students, especially by attending on-campus events. It should also create a clear path to train and support law clerks who want to continue working in Scott County as attorneys.

The justice system’s main job is to serve the public. Scott County residents play an important role in this system. If elected, I will work to build stronger connections between the County Attorney’s Office and the community, which will include an increased social media presence, an improved website, and regular attendance at community events and meetings. People should be able to share their thoughts and concerns about the justice system more than once every four years.

I am committed to staying connected with the community between elections. I will listen to their feedback and speak up for the people of Scott County, both here and at the state level in St. Paul.

The cash bail system needs to be fixed. Many people in the justice system have mental health needs or problems with drugs or alcohol. They also have very little or no financial resources.

Even a small amount of cash bail can keep someone in jail while their case slogs through the system. At the same time, those with more wealth can pay bail and return to the comfort of their home, regardless of the risk they pose to public safety.

Remaining in jail can push people to admit they are guilty, even if they are not, just so they can get out. Those who can afford bail have more time to fight their case while living at home, remaining employed, and sleeping in their own beds.

When I worked in Scott County, there was no clear policy about bail requests. Each prosecutor made their own decisions without clear guidelines. This results in unfair outcomes on less serious cases, such as driver’s license violations receiving high bail, while more serious crimes, like domestic assault, receive lower bail.

If elected, I will immediately work with staff to create clear rules for bail requests based on the type of crime, the defendant’s past record, and whether they have shown up to court before. Prosecutors will still have the autonomy to evaluate each person’s situation, but clear rules will help reduce inequalities.

I am also committed to exploring and implementing cash bail alternatives. I will collaborate with Scott County Community Corrections to explore solutions to keep the community safe without wasting taxpayer dollars.

I began my legal career as a law clerk with the public defender’s office in Scott County. During my career, I have worked as both a defense attorney and a prosecutor on child protection and criminal cases. This has given me a unique perspective on how the justice system works and how it affects people.

I believe the justice system works best when prosecutors and public defenders are paid equally and have access to the same level of resources. Public defenders protect the constitutional rights of all people in Scott County and know the court system better than anyone. These attorneys understand the judges and prosecutors and understand what fair plea deals look like.

Public defenders handle massive caseloads. They help resolve cases when possible, which keeps the system efficient, but are also skilled trial lawyers because of their heavy workload.

Although prosecutors and public defenders are adversaries in court, their offices must cooperate to ensure the constitutional rights of Scott County residents are protected and the justice system functions as efficiently as possible.

In Minnesota, public defenders can only represent adults charged with crimes and youth in certain cases. Adults in cases like child protection, civil commitment, child support, or eviction matters do have a constitutional right to a lawyer, even though they face losing their liberty, custody of children, or housing.

Hennepin County created Adult Representation Services (ARS) to help people in these types of cases by providing expert attorneys similar to public defenders.

If elected, I will support creating a similar organization in Scott County. Right now, people facing civil cases are represented by private attorneys who have contracts with the county. The county has to renew these contracts often, which raises costs over time. Attorneys who are granted these contracts are not always experts and only do this work part time.

Full-time staff at ARS become experts in these cases. This leads to better representation for clients and helps the system run more smoothly. Staff are familiar with justice partners and know about local resources. They can also be involved in discussions to improve county policies.

Like anything else, a new program requires investment. But over time, the resources saved from shifting away from a contract model will result in savings for taxpayers. Fewer families will end up in the system, and those who do will receive quality representation to remain productive members of the community.

On January 1, 2027, the Scott County Attorney’s Office will need to comply with a new state law called the Minnesota African American Family Preservation Act, which sets a higher standard for removing a child from their family. It also requires Scott County Human Services to provide more support to families in the child protection system so children can safely return home.

This is an important change in how child welfare cases are handled. The county must prepare ahead of time to follow this law correctly. If the county is not prepared for these changes, children could be released to parents before safety is ensured.

I have experience working with this new law as an Assistant County Attorney in Hennepin County. I have seen how it affects the justice system in real cases.

This experience has prepared me to put this law into practice in Scott County. Right now, Scott County is not fully ready for this change.

I strongly support “Harvey’s Law,” a bill proposed in the Minnesota legislature this session. The need for this law was tragically exposed when an infant died at the hands of a daycare employee in our community.

Harvey Muklebust was a happy and healthy baby whose death could have been prevented. Nothing can take away the pain his family feels, but we can honor him by making sure this never happens again.

Children are the most vulnerable people in our community. We must keep them safe when they are not with their parents. Raising a child takes a village, and many families must rely on providers outside their home or family to care for their children at some point. This law is a common-sense step to help keep children safe, restore trust in the daycare community, and to hold caregivers responsible if they harm a child.

This bill did not pass in 2026. It was not perfect yet. Concerns have been raised about cybersecurity, implementation costs, and the need for better training for childcare workers. These are legitimate concerns, but should not stop us from working on this bill. These problems can be solved.

I ask our leaders to work together across party lines to create a strong and effective law to protect these vulnerable children.

Read more about Harvey’s Law here:
https://www.house.mn.gov/sessiondaily/Story/18968

Contact your legislator and ask them to support Harvey’s Law here:
https://gis.lcc.mn.gov/iMaps/districts/