Faribault County’s chief prosecutor was put in the “hot seat” during the commissioners board meeting held April 15.
County Attorney Cameron Davis had to defend his handling of some criminal cases.
Commissioner Bill Groskreutz says some members of the public are saying there are incidents that are happening and nothing is being prosecuted.
“At some point, people start taking the law into their own hands … it’s a concern that I have,” he says.
A group of citizens did come to his office several weeks ago, says Davis, wondering why he was not prosecuting reports they had made to law enforcement.
Davis says he is actively prosecuting one of the persons the group is concerned about, while several other complaints have been forwarded to the Blue Earth city attorney.
“They are city-level prosecutions, including misdemeanors and certain gross misdemeanor cases that occur within city limits,” he says. “Those I have no control over.”
Davis was eager to speak in defense of the work he has done since being appointed in 2021 and re-elected to a four-year term in 2022.
“I vehemently push back against the idea that I leave things sitting unattended on my desk and I don’t pay proper attention,” he says.
Davis says when he took office there were law enforcement reports that were more than two years old and had not been addressed. Now, the oldest referral is less than a month.
Davis notes that while he handles his office’s caseload without an assistant, there are some smaller counties that are staffed with two or more attorneys.
Board members sat quietly and listened as Davis stressed he addresses custody reports and decisions to charge someone quickly while adhering to constitutional principles.
“I take nothing more seriously than the constitutional rights of citizens of this county” he says. “Sometimes I butt heads with law enforcement officers and victims from different stakeholders because I hold those rights in such high regard.”
Groskreutz thanked Davis for clarifying his duties and how he handles cases.
“I am not saying that you are not doing your job. I’m just reporting what people are telling me,” he says.