Jacob Shellabarger, Audrain County Prosecuting Attorney

I’m Jacob Shellabarger, and I’ve served as Audrain County’s Prosecuting Attorney since 2009. It is a privilege and an honor to represent our citizens in the criminal justice system every day.

I take my job, my profession, and my duty to the citizens of our state and our county, to the Constitution of the United States and to the Missouri Constitution, seriously. This is the 50th column I have submitted to our local news outlets to share about our process, the criminal justice system, crime trends, actions to keep your kids and families safe, and the people who make justice real for all of Audrain County each day.

We don’t do it alone – citizens are where each case begins: a witness, a victim, a phone call to dispatchers, or a courageous walk in to speak with an officer or deputy. These citizens are where our cases begin: if someone breaks the law, to hold an offender accountable, there must be evidence, witnesses and the ability to prove it. Our constitution requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime has been committed, which means the state must prove each and every element of the crime, under the law, beyond a reasonable doubt to jurors. This should leave them firmly convinced of the defendant’s guilt. It’s not a judgment on morality – but a clear decision: did this person break the law? The court provides the law and the structure, and the jury decides what the facts are in the case.

Citizens who report crimes make our communities better – our community takes care of each other, looks after to make sure things are not stolen, people are not harmed, and property and our rights are protected. A jury is made of citizens, just like each of you, that decide if the state has done its job: have we proven the defendant has committed each of the parts of the crime, or not?

As the Prosecuting Attorney, my office and I review reports from law enforcement agencies and determine what, if any, charges are appropriate and should be brought based on reported crimes. This includes minor offenses, like traffic tickets, littering, and trespass violations all the way up to serious felony crimes such as sexual assault, assault, burglary, robbery and murder. When a defendant pleads guilty or is found guilty, we recommend an appropriate punishment, which a judge accepts or rejects.

Our office receives reports from several agencies in Audrain County: the Audrain County Sheriff’s Office, Mexico Department of Public Safety, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Missouri Conservation Commission, and smaller departments like Laddonia, Martinsburg and Farber, which maintain police departments. Crimes and incidents are also reported by railroad police departments: Norfolk Southern and Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern. Reported crimes also come in from state agencies working incidents in the county, such as the State Departments of Labor (unemployment compensation fraud), Social Services (crimes against the elderly and children), Revenue (tax crimes and motor vehicle crimes), and Alcohol Control. Crimes occurring within Women’s Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Corrections Center (WERDCC) in Vandalia also are forwarded to our office for consideration.

Our office is staffed with a group that works hard daily to make justice real for our citizens. Paralegal Office Manager Wendi Burton, Legal Assistant Kara Winterbower, and Legal Clerk Alaina Phillippe ensure our electronic files are maintained, tracked and coordinated. Each case can contain anywhere from a handful of documents to tens of thousands of pages – and they ensure we meet our obligations to provide the defense a full copy of any evidence we use in a criminal case.

These employees make sure our cases are properly organized, formatted and scheduled, that all police reports and documents are properly tracked and entered, and that all of our actions are carefully documented and communicated with the court. Our victim advocate, who communicates with victims of all kinds of cases, from domestic and sexual violence to property crimes, is a crucial part of the team, communicating with victims and families about a confusing, often lengthy, court process. Heather Hobbs serves as the investigator: a liaison between our office and law enforcement agencies, and assisting with providing discovery and evidence to defense attorneys, working case analysis, evidence review and continuing investigations with follow-up.

It is some bittersweet news that our long-time victim advocate, Leigh Thomas, is leaving our office mid-May. Although it’s sad to lose a highly trained and skillful employee, she has been presented with an exceptional new opportunity that will use her talents to make Audrain County a better place.

Since 2015, Leigh has changed the lives of countless victims, family members, and a lot of assistant prosecuting attorneys. Her passionate advocacy for doing the right thing for victims, and her guidance, urging, occasional confrontation, and great skill in listening and communicating will be missed – as she would tell you, we have “cussed and discussed” a lot of cases over the years. She has celebrated accountability through trial verdicts, and shared in heartbreak and grief at cases that didn’t go as planned. She has played with children under courthouse tables, caught tears as victims cried, stood solid when victims took out their frustrations on her, and laughed with our BACA biker friends, police officers, and our team. Although we will name a new victim advocate in time, and give them the tools to succeed and thrive, we’ll miss our friend. Best of luck, Leigh – continue to be you.