Transparency and honesty matter.

As a prosecutor, my job is to find justice. Often, that involves asking a jury of someone’s peers to find them guilty of a crime. A Johnson County jury is made up of Johnson County citizens who need to believe in the justice system for it to work properly.

In the 2024 Johnson County Community Survey, only 48% of Johnson Countians believe the District Attorney’s Office can competently prosecute criminals. Four years ago, that number was 61%.  Why has that number dropped so much in the last four years? It could have been the mass exodus of experienced prosecutors from the office. It could have been the declining trial statistics. It could have been the investigation by the Department of Justice and the Office of the Disciplinary Administrator about the current District Attorney’s misleading statements.

A common statement you’ll hear from Steve Howe is how aggressively he’s pursued domestic violence cases. Unfortunately, many misdemeanor domestic violence cases will end up being prosecuted by a law student rather than an experienced prosecutor. I’ve heard time and time again from victims of domestic violence cases that they couldn’t ever get ahold of their prosecutor or their case ended up being dumped on an intern who didn’t truly know what they were doing.

The District Attorney’s Office cannot succeed without the trust of the public. The lack of belief in the ability of the District Attorney to do his job undermines the ability of the office to secure convictions at trial and to get victims and witnesses to cooperate during the duration of prosecutions. It is time for a new leader to step up and restore public faith in the competence of the District Attorney’s Office. I promise to be transparent and honest about decisions in the District Attorney's Office.

This is why we need change.

-DG