"Crime is Rampant . . . Business is Good!"

The title of this blog was Blaine's response when I asked him some time ago how things were going with his work . . .

On Wednesday, February 8, Blaine was honored by the IPAA as 2011 Prosecutor of the Year.  Peter and I were happy to soak up some of his limelight at the opening meeting of the conference.  We were VERY PROUD!  His boss (Al Barrus, in the picture below) said some very nice things about him in presenting a plaque. 

Here is what Al Barrus wrote about Blaine--it was included in the materials handed out to those who attended the conference:

"Blaine has served as Chief Criminal Deputy for over ten years.  He has prosecuted nearly every kind of felony including first degree murder, rape, kidnapping and child sexual molestation cases.

Blaine has been very involved in training police officers on the local level and has taught classes for the Prosecutor's Association.

Blaine prepares his cases thoroughly and works hard to protect the rights of the victims.  He has tried cases against the best defense attorneys in the area and achieved justice for the victims in those cases.

On one occasion, Blaine took over a child molestation case when a neighboring jurisdiction had a conflict.  The molestation had taken place many years before and the defendant was a retired school teacher.  Blaine spent countless hours preparing the case and worked tirelessly with very distraught victims.  After a long and difficult jury trial the defendant was sentenced to a life time in prison.  This was to me an example of Blaine going way beyond his required duties to obtain justice for victims.

Blaine has tremendous respect from the judges he works with, the defense bar and law enforcement.  It has been my privilege to work with Blaine for the last ten years and I believe he is unquestionably one of the very best prosecutors in the state."  (Alfred Barrus)

The speaker at the opening meeting was woman from Indiana.  She related her personal experience of being assaulted by 3  young men years before, and particularly how the prosecuting attorney handled her case which went on for 3 years before the three received prison sentences (the same 3 had also attacked and molested 4 or 5 other young women).  She is now a victim's advocate and talked about the important role of the prosecuting attorney in helping victims receive justice.  She listed the qualities needed by a successful prosecuting attorney and it was easy for me to see why Blaine is good at his job.  It was a special experience to be there with him.

Keep up the good work, Blaine!