ABOUT THE OFFICE:
The mission of the DA's Office is to prosecute criminals aggressively, seek justice for victims of crimes and advocate for the rights of victims, in an ethical and effective manner. The DA's Office is committed to working with other law enforcement officials and governmental agencies, local community organizations, the faith community and the private sector to strengthen crime prevention efforts in Chatham County.
The District Attorney's Office includes 38 attorneys, along with a full complement of professional and administrative staff who support the following divisions and offices:
- Superior Court
- Early Intervention Program(EIP)
- Special Victims Unit (SVU)
- State Court
- Juvenile Court
- Criminal Investigation Bureau
- Public Information Office
- Victim-Witness Assistance Program
- Child Support Services
SUPERIOR COURT
The Superior Court team handles the prosecution of felony cases and consists of the following assistant district attorneys:
- chief assistant district attorney – Greg McConnell, who supervises the Superior Court team
- twelve assistant district attorneys assigned to six judges
- two assistant district attorneys assigned to the Chatham Narcotics Team
- two assistant district attorneys assigned to the Office of Child Support Services
EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAM (EIP)
The EIP division is staffed by three attorneys who work to improve the processing and resolution of felony warrants and is led by deputy chief assistant district attorney Greg Jacobs.
SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT (SVU)
SVU is staffed by seven attorneys who specialize in the prosecution of domestic violence, child abuse, elder abuse and sex offender registry cases. This prosecution team is led by deputy chief assistant district attorney Ann Elmore.
STATE COURT
The State Court team is responsible for prosecuting misdemeanor cases in State Court and Recorder's Court. The State Court prosecution team is led by deputy chief assistant district attorney Roxanne Formey, and consists of:
- six assistant district attorneys assigned to three judges
- an assistant district attorney assigned to DUI Court and DUI Recorder’s Court
State Court assistant district attorneys also attend court cases for misdemeanors in three municipalities:
- Bloomingdale
- Thunderbolt
- Tybee Island
A warrant control clerk position was added to the State Court team to improve the processing of warrants.
JUVENILE COURT
The Juvenile Court team is responsible for prosecuting felony and misdemeanor cases involving juveniles. The Juvenile Court team is also responsible for prosecuting truancy, runaway and other ungovernable offenses by juveniles. The team is led by deputy chief assistant district attorney Diane McLeod. There are three attorneys assigned to three juvenile court judges.
CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION BUREAU
The Criminal Investigation Bureau plays a critical role in the processing of cases through their ability to investigate and provide evidence on cases presented by the District Attorney's Office. The bureau is led by chief criminal investigator John Strickland, and includes 12 investigators, who are sworn law enforcement personnel. The investigators are divided into divisions to increase investigative expertise and support for processing cases in Superior Court, State Court, Special Victims Unit and Child Support Services.
VICTIM-WITNESS ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
This program provides a variety of free services to crime victims, witnesses and their families, including case information, courtroom orientation, referrals to community agencies and assistance with applying for financial compensation.
VWAP staff is available from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, (except official holidays) or by appointment, and can be reached at 912-652-7329 or 1-800-477-5959. The Victim-Witness Assistance Program is led by director Cheryl Rogers and is funded primarily by the Chatham County Commission. To learn more about this program, visit the VWAP web site
OFFICE OF CHILD SUPPORT SERVICES
The Office of Child Support Services is a division of the District Attorney’s Office which processes all child support cases and enforces child support orders, including the prosecution of child support violators.
The Child Support Services Office is located at 415 W. Broughton Street and is open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. The office is led by Child Support Services director David Lowe.
For more information, call the Child Support Information Line at 912-652-7400 or the Child Support Hotline at 404-921-1490.