10/28/2021: Support for defunding the police collapsed in 2021, with steep drops among Black adults and Democrats, new poll shows. – Full Story
Dan has had the privilege of serving the citizens of Greene County as the elected prosecutor or as an assistant prosecutor since 1996. Prior to his election in 2010, Dan served as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, as First Assistant leading the Major Crimes Unit, and as Chief Assistant responsible for day-to-day operations of the office.
The Prosecuting Attorney’s Office communicates with the public through Facebook ( Audrain County Prosecuting Attorney) and Twitter ( @AudrainCoPA ).
The Prosecuting Attorney is responsible for the prosecution of crimes occurring within Audrain County including, but not limited to:
All complaints about lawyer disciplinary matters must be filed with The Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel. The Chief Disciplinary Counsel is appointed by the Supreme Court of Missouri to handle ethical complaints about lawyers. Only the Chief Disciplinary Counsel has the authority to investigate and refer complaints that may be best resolved outside of the traditional disciplinary system to The Missouri Bar Complaint Resolution Program.
Clients or other lawyers who believe a lawyer has behaved unethically or unprofessionally should file a complaint with the Office of the Chief Disciplinary Counsel of the Supreme Court of Missouri. That office will review the complaint, then determine whether it may be best resolved in a meeting with the parties and a third party neutral to assist them to resolve the complaint, or if more formal disciplinary proceedings are appropriate.
Promptly after receipt of the file from the chief disciplinary counsel, the complaint resolution administrator will send a letter to the respondent lawyer with a copy to the complainant notifying the respondent of the receipt of the file from the chief disciplinary counsel and requesting a written response to the complaint within twenty days. In addition, both parties will be asked to sign an agreement form developed by the complaint resolution program committing to voluntarily participate in the complaint resolution conference. All written communications from the complaint resolution program to the parties shall bear the legend, "ALL PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMPLAINT RESOLUTION PROGRAM ARE CONFIDENTIAL, AND ANY UNAUTHORIZED DISCLOSURE RELATING THERETO IS PROHIBITED BY LAW." In addition, all envelopes should be marked "PERSONAL AND CONFIDENTIAL."
If the lawyer does not respond or does not agree to participate in the meeting, or more serious misconduct is revealed, the file will be returned to the Chief Disciplinary Counsel who will determine if the complaint should be handled in the formal disciplinary process.
1. The first step in the process is the referral of the complaint to the complaint resolution program. After the chief disciplinary counsel has determined that the complaint is appropriate for referral, the chief disciplinary counsel or designee will send a letter to the complainant and the respondent advising them that the matter is being forwarded to the complaint resolution program. The chief disciplinary counsel will send to the complaint resolution administrator the chief disciplinary counsel file to the extent that the same relates to the complaint against this lawyer, including the complaint and the letter advising the parties of the reference to the complaint resolution program.
After a complaint is referred to the complaint resolution program, the lawyer respondent will be asked to file a written answer and give written consent to participate in a resolution conference with a facilitator and the person bringing the complaint. Once the answer and consent are received from the lawyer respondent and the person bringing the complaint has signed a written consent, the complaint resolution program chair or complaint resolution administrator will assign the matter to a facilitator who may solicit further information from the parties and hold a mediation-like conference. Following the conference, the facilitator will prepare an appropriate report to be returned to the complaint resolution program administrator for review by the complaint resolution committee chair, which will be forwarded to the chief disciplinary counsel's office. If the respondent lawyer does not participate, or if there is new information revealed whereby it appears that the respondent has engaged in serious misconduct, the complaint resolution committee shall return the matter to the chief disciplinary counsel. If the complainant does not participate, the complaint resolution committee will refer the complaint back to the chief disciplinary counsel noting such.
If the charges are proven true, the lawyer will face a range of disciplinary actions.
Article V, Section 1 of Missouri’s Constitution established Missouri circuit courts as the only trial court in the state with jurisdiction over all criminal and civil cases. Section 14 of Article V also permits the circuit courts to issue and determine original remedial writs . Missouri’s single trial court, the circuit courts, ...
The Constitution of the State of Missouri authorizes three types of judges in Missouri’s circuit courts – circui t judges, associate circui t judges, and municipal judges. On January 2, 1979, the new judicial article established as circuit judges those judges who were circuit judges prior to that date, probate judges in counties with more ...
Associate circuit judges serve four-year terms. An associate circuit judge must be a qualified Missouri voter, a resident of the county in which he or she presides, an attorney licensed to practice law in Missouri, and between the ages of 25 and 70.
To qualify for the six-year term of circuit judge a person must have been a United States citizen for ten years, a qualified Missouri voter for three years, and a resident of the circuit for one year. The person must be between 30 and 70 years of age and must be licensed to practice law in Missouri.
Because of the "civil" nature of municipal proceedings, the full criminal protects are not usually given to defendants. However, when a case is appealed ( trial de novo) to circuit court, criminal rules and protections apply. Municipal courts usually process cases as follows: 1.
The circuit level has original jurisdiction over all cases whether criminal or civil. Circuit judges may hear and determine all cases and matters within the jurisdiction of the circuit courts.
The third jurisdictional level of the circuit courts, the municipal division, hears only municipal ordinance violations. Under the new article, the governing body of any municipality with a population of less than 400,000 may elect to have an associate circuit judge hear municipal matters in the first instance.