Bill Dobbs came into his first day of office as McDonald County Prosecuting Attorney unlike most of his predecessors.
While most of those taking over the office would be prosecuting a case for the first time, Dobbs has a wealth of experience.
He has served as a senior prosecuting attorney for Newton County since October of 2000. During that time, he focused on family/children issues.
"I tried all the child abuse/sexual based crimes," Dobbs said. "Also the domestic violence crimes. I was also responsible for trial of all A and B felonies."
Prior to going to work for Newton County, Dobbs worked in private practice for just over two years after earning his law degree from the University of Tulsa College of Law in 1997. There is about a 20-year gap from the time Dobbs received his bachelor's degree while majoring in psychology and sociology from Missouri State University and studying criminal justice administration for a year at Central Missouri State University.
During part of those years in between college and law school, Dobbs served as the chief juvenile officer for McDonald County from 1987 to 1995.
"When I got out of high school I never saw law school as something that was attainable until later as chief juvenile officer I was permitted for most of my years to present cases to the court and perform as kind of a quasi-lawyer," Dobbs said. "I really enjoyed that and it whetted my appetite to go to law school."
Dobbs said with the help of his wife, they made the sacrifices necessary for him to go to law school.
"When I went to law school I wanted to be a prosecutor," Dobbs said. "As soon the opportunity afforded itself -- Scott Watson was looking for someone at Newton County -- I took it. I loved every minute of it and still do."
Dobbs said his vision for the office is to get cases disposed of quickly.
"We want to focus on victim needs and goals regarding disposition," Dobbs said. "There are a lot of cases as I look through the case management system that have restitution required. We have had lots of contact with folks inquiring about the status of their restitution claims. We have been tracking that information down and identifying those cases where the defendant may need some encouragement or gentle nudging to do the right thing. I certainly am comfortable with the idea of violating someone's probation and asking the court to convert their sentence to jail or DOC time if they are not taking care of their obligations."
Dobbs has several high profile cases that should come up for trial in 2015, including several defendants charged with murder. The first of those cases is the trial of Fred Bremer, who is charged with the murder of Jack McCain in February 2011. Dobbs said that trial is scheduled to begin mid February.
Dobbs will be assisted by a staff of three, including Malea Cheney, who will serve as assistant prosecuting attorney. Cheney has 11 years trial experience as a pubic defender and three years experience as an assistant prosecutor in Newton county.
Shari Carpenter was chief clerk in the prosecutor's office in Newton County for the past 15 years. Dobbs said she will be the "anchor point" of the office.
Kim Pa will be responsible for traffic, bad checks and restitution.
Dobbs said his office will be open for anyone who needs help.
"I am willing to meet with anybody having a question regarding a criminal case," Dobbs said. "Sometimes folks have a general question they want to ask and if not under the venue of the prosecutor's office and I can't help them, I will try to direct them to someone that can. We are here to serve the public. That is our number one goal."
Dobbs and his wife, Karen, have been married for 41 years. The couple have six children and are expecting their 11th and 12th grandchildren. Karen worked for 30 years for the state of Missouri as a social worker, including 10 in McDonald County.
General News on 01/15/2015