Commissioners worry 11th Judicial DA’s new 4-day work week will lead to more case dismissals
FREMONT COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- Chaffee and Fremont County Commissioners say they're concerned over a recent change in the office of 11th Judicial District Attorney Linda Stanley.
They say her office is now operating on a four-day, 32-hour work week, and they believe the decision will hinder the office's ability to prosecute criminal cases.
"It’s not a game, right? And we’re seeing cases dismissed, we’re seeing sanctions that lead to lighter sentences for truly serious crimes," said Chaffee County Commissioner Greg Pelt in a Jan. 16 meeting.
In the Jan. 16 Board of Commissioners meeting, multiple Chaffee County commissioners said they were troubled by the switch to a four-day work week.
The commissioners argued the schedule change would have ripple effects and possibly jeopardize the prosecution of criminal cases. They believe Stanley's office was already falling behind in processing evidence and managing the workload during the 40-hour workweek parameters and that this will only exacerbate the problem.
Stanley is no stranger to controversy. Right now, Stanley is facing a state complaint looking to discipline her for misconduct, and she's also facing a lawsuit from Barry Morphew, surrounding comments she made to media outlets about the murder investigation into his wife.
The Chaffee County Commissioners referenced the Morphew lawsuit in their meeting, arguing Stanley spends more time working on her defense in that case than her job responsibilities.
"Most of her work has to do with the lawsuit filed by Barry Morphew, so defending herself,” said Pelt.
In the meeting, Pelt said he learned of the schedule change from Chief Judge Patrick W. Murphy. In Fremont County, Commissioner Dwayne McFall said he learned of the change from news coverage over the weekend.
He said the Fremont County Board of Commissioners has no power over Stanley, but they have closely followed issues coming out of her office.
"We cannot tell her when to work, what to do in her work, or anything else," said McFall. "But it's not right for the people of these four counties that voted her into office."
KRDO13 reached out to District Attorney Stanley this morning asking for more information and an interview on the schedule change. We also wanted to learn whether prosecutors will be showing up to court on Fridays.
In response, Stanley told us the change comes after months of research on worker productivity and since the majority of their cases are heard Monday - Thursday, they are trying the new schedule to see what works best for employees. Attorneys with the office will still be in court on Fridays.
KRDO13 requested comment from Judge Murphy. He responded, "it would not be appropriate for him to comment because he handles cases prosecuted by [Stanley's] office."
KRDO13 also reached out to the Public Defender's Office for comment, but they said "It is the policy of the Colorado State Public Defender to not comment on matters concerning our clients in the press."
