Modoc County Appoints Interim District Attorney
- By: Margaret E. Long, Partner
The Modoc County Board of Supervisors announced on Tuesday, April 7, 2020, that Prentice|Long, PC Partner Sophia R. Meyer has been appointed as Interim District Attorney. Ms. Meyer will fill the position recently vacated by Sam Kyllo. Ms. Meyer will be sworn in on April 15, 2020. Ms. Meyer is the former Assistant District Attorney for Modoc County, and held that position from from March 2012 through February 2016. Ms. Meyer has maintained her ties with Modoc County, and is currently Assistant County Counsel for the County.
Ms. Meyer shall be responsible for the prosecution of criminal violations of state law and county ordinances occurring within the County pursuant to Government Code section 26500 et seq. This includes assisting in investigations and apprehension of criminals, as well as prosecution in court. The Interim District Attorney also serves as legal counsel to the Grand Jury and prosecutes welfare fraud and child abduction matters.
Prentice|Long, PC will also provide Deputy District Attorney services through P.J. Van Ert and Kelsey Walsh, as needed. Ms. Van Ert and Ms. Walsh are both former prosecutors with the Shasta County District Attorney’s office. Their skills and knowledge of criminal prosecution have been honed over the years while having been assigned to juvenile wardship matters, misdemeanors, and felony trials, up to and including prosecution of murder cases.
Ms. Meyer’s goals as Interim District Attorney are to continue to work harmoniously and cooperatively with agency partners in the pursuit of fair and equitable prosecution of crimes, ensure public safety concerns are addressed, and serve victims of crimes in the community. “We would like to get back to business as usual as soon as COVID-19 allows for that to happen,” Ms. Meyer said. “With the extension of statutory deadlines by the Chief Justice, we expect to be very busy this summer playing catch-up. The District Attorney’s office is lucky to have a very competent Assistant District Attorney in Stacey Todd, and we look forward to working closely with her and the rest of the staff to keep justice on track.”