Court Units
Court Units
General Felony Unit
Allan Culver, Chief – Read Bio
Amy Ocampo
Karla Goldman
William Sasse
Circuit Court Unit prosecutes felony criminal cases that occur in Carroll County including homicides, burglaries, armed robberies thefts, assaults, narcotics and firearms crimes. After reviewing the felony cases for probable cause and accuracy of the charges, the cases are then presented to Grand Jury. After the Grand Jury finds probable cause to issue an indictment, the case is set for an initial appearance. At an initial appearance, the accused is advised of the charges he or she faces and his or her right to an attorney. The case will be set for a status conference where the defendant, his or her attorney and the prosecutor confer with the courts and criminal assignment to set motions and trial dates. The victim advocate keeps victims and witnesses apprised of the case status, schedule victims and witnesses for case preparation and connects them to available services.
This unit also handles all collateral proceedings, including violations of probation, post-conviction petitions, and notifications.
District Court Unit
Kathleen Wickert, District Court Chief – Read Bio
Brian Barth
Cris Babinskyy
Dillon Barth
Melina Rauskolb
Rachael Pietkiewicz
This Unit handles misdemeanor cases and serious traffic offenses, domestic violence and misdemeanor assaults, DUI’s originating in District Court, and some felonies with concurrent jurisdiction. In addition, this unit reviews civilian charged complaints and prepares cases for motions and bench trials before the District Court. This Unit also handles post-conviction proceedings such as violations of probation, modifications, and review hearing.
Juvenile Court Unit
Kathleen Wickert, Assistant State’s Attorney
The Juvenile Court Unit prosecutes individuals under the age of 18 for offenses that would be considered criminal if the individual were an adult. This includes assaults, malicious destruction of property, thefts, drug offenses, arsons, serious traffic offenses, weapon offenses and other criminal matters.
All cases are referred to the Juvenile Unit from the Department of Juvenile Services Intake Officer following a thorough review and a recommendation for a referral. A Petition asserting the Respondent committed a delinquent act is filed in Juvenile Court to begin the litigation process. Subsequent hearings including adjudication, disposition, detention, modification, review, and restitution hearings are all focused on the guidance, treatment, and rehabilitation of the young person. The Juvenile Justice system is designed to balance public safety and protection of the community with rehabilitation and character development of the juvenile offender. A goal of the Juvenile system to assist the Juvenile in becoming a responsible and productive member of society. Through the Juvenile Justice System, a variety of social and psychological services are available to youth found to have committed a delinquent act. Similar to other Units in the office there is a Victim Advocate assigned to the Unit to advise victims and witnesses of the status of particular cases and of services available to them.
Investigation Unit
Dean Brewer, Chief Investigator – Read Bio
John Carhart, Deputy Chief
Investigators:
Allen Albaugh
Dave Rolle
The Investigations Unit of the State’s Attorney consist of five law enforcement professionals who conduct a wide range of criminal investigations in support of the State’s Attorney’s Office mission of presenting the strongest cases possible with available resources. These investigations are aimed at gathering evidence in sometimes complex cases. Investigators are involved in locating witnesses, presenting evidence before the Grand Jury, and assisting other law enforcement agencies when requested. Investigators work closely with the Special Victims Unit, Economic Crimes Unit, and the Major Offender Unit where expertise is needed in these sensitive cases.