By Joan mccoy
Leader staff writer
Like all the other county-level races, from sheriff to county judge to justices of the peaces — the office of the Lonoke County prosecutor went to a Republican last week.
Chuck Graham, who was a deputy prosecutor for about eight years before leaving a year ago to concentrate on his campaign, won over Tim Blair, 9,698 to 6,013.
Graham said Friday that he had already spent time at the courthouse with Prosecutor Will Feland, who was appointed almost two years ago to replace Lona McCastlain.
“I met with Will yesterday,” Graham said. “I’ve still got to sit down with the attorneys to see what they want to do.”
Counting the prosecutor, there are eight lawyers in the office. Some of them are part-time.
Graham said Feland’s chief deputy, Bart Dickinson, will be leaving. In his place will be Ashley Parker, who, like Graham, started to work for McCastlain in 2002. Parker is now in Hope as the appointed prosecutor for Hempstead and Nevada counties.
Graham said Dickinson knew when he took the position of chief deputy prosecutor under Feland that he would leave when a new prosecutor was elected.
Denise Brown, the office manager, was elected court clerk, so her position must be filled. But the other office staff will likely remain, he said.
Graham said he has not really delved into the caseload. But he said that although the cases will have different numbers, it is almost certain that he will recognize many of the offenders.
“We have new cases on the same people,” he said.
One thing that won’t change, except possibly to be expanded, is the drug court that McCastlain started six years ago.
Graham said he was the prosecutor forthat court, which is actually an intensive probation program aimed at rehabilitation.
The program is only for drug users, not sellers, and the goal is to break the cycle of drug use among family members through changing patterns and teaching life skills.
“I was prosecuting mom and dad, their kids and grandkids for drugs,” Graham said, adding that the program has been a success.
Graham said he intends to follow through with his campaign promise to first protect children from sexual predators and others who would abuse them, second to deal with crimes against people and third to prosecute drug offenders.
