LAKE COUNTY ? The Lake County Deputy District Attorney”s Association announced its endorsement Tuesday of incumbent Jon Hopkins for district attorney.
Association members work with the three candidates and carefully considered the candidates” qualifications before making the endorsement, said Deputy District Attorney Susan Krones in a press release.
“I am pleased with the endorsement of the Deputy DA”s Association. Frequently in DA”s offices, there are candidates from within the office challenging the District Attorney, or factions within the office that line-up against the incumbent. That could easily happen here in Lake County with the emphasis I place on the commitment to work hard for the safety of the public and the civil service protections in place for the deputies. It would be a lot easier to work under either of my opponents who are offering a platform of felony sentence bargaining. But our Deputy DAs are not looking to have it easy. I am proud of our entire office and their commitment to the community to stand up for victims and public safety,” Hopkins said following the announcement.
“The Lake County prosecutors support Hopkins because he is the most experienced and qualified candidate for the position,” Krones said. “Not only does Hopkins have over thirty years experience as a top notch prosecutor, he is the only candidate with any experience prosecuting criminals.”
Krones said the main reason the association supports Hopkins is his experience. The association thinks he has experience successfully managing a multi-million dollar budget both as district attorney and previously as the chief deputy district attorney, experience the association believes neither of the other candidates possesses.
“When the safety of the community is at stake, you do not want someone in this position of responsibility struggling to learn the job as they go,” Krones said.
Members also think he puts effort into all his cases, including difficult ones.
“We believe the position of district attorney should be filled by someone who is willing to take on the tough cases, not just the easy or convenient ones,” Krones said. “We believe that our system of justice with the right to a jury trial is the best system in the world and the district attorney is in a unique position to see that justice is served.”
“Unfortunately, anyone can be the victim of crime. And when one”s family is torn apart by crime, the family deserves to have a lead prosecutor who is concerned with truth and justice and who does not bow to statistical wins and losses,” Krones said. “Jon Hopkins has proven himself over and over to be a prosecutor who does not assign the toughest cases to his deputies, but takes them himself ? no matter how unpopular or controversial the case.”
Krones and association members said a district attorney should not be judged solely on one case.
“To do so would be short-sighted and frankly, if Jon Hopkins is not re-elected, Lake County will lose one of the best skilled prosecutors in the state,” Krones said.
The association cited three murders that Hopkins successfully prosecuted with little evidence, including three trials against three men who forced a man to drive them to a remote location from a fast food restaurant in Clearlake and killed him; an elder abuse homicide and a case where neither the body nor the weapon were found.
“A community deserves a tenacious prosecutor who is willing and able to fight for truth in the courtroom despite the odds,” Krones said. “Victims and victims” families deserve no less and Jon Hopkins has repeatedly proven himself as the right person for the job.”
Association members think Hopkins has experience in managing a large organization well and acquiring grants to improve the office. Hopkins also has been instrumental in organizing and coordinating special prosecution teams within the Lake County District Attorney”s Office with attorneys, investigators, and victim witness advocates, Krones said. Hopkins engineered these teams to help combat domestic violence, child sexual and physical abuse, and elder abuse.
“We are proud of the reputation that Lake County has earned among criminals – that if you are going to commit crime, do it somewhere else, not Lake County,” Krones said. “Because if you prey on the people of Lake County, this DA”s office, under the leadership of Jon Hopkins, will not shy away from tough cases and we will not promise probation to criminals in felony cases, as the other candidates urge.”
Running against incumbent Hopkins in the race for Lake County District Attorney are Don Anderson and Doug Rhoades.
