APAAC Misdemeanor Prosecutor Award Recipients

Since becoming a prosecutor with the Lake Havasu City Attorney’s Office three years ago, Sherman Jackson has demonstrated an exceptional analysis of the facts and law of the variety of misdemeanor cases he has prosecuted from inception to appeal. Sherman brings a wealth of experience in the practice of law, starting his career as an Assistant District Attorney with the Queens (NY) County District Attorney’s Office in 2000. Since becoming an Assistant City Prosecutor, Sherman has vigorously stood up for the rights of crime victims, and in a recent case, ensured a defendant who had harassed a 15-year-old victim had to register as a sex offender. Sherman challenged an appellate decision out of the Superior Court, resulting in a published decision by the Court of Appeals last year. Sherman, a proud Marine Corps veteran (Sergeant), co-handles the local Veteran Treatment Court with great success.

Lupe Garcia joined our office in late 2020 during the height of the COVID pandemic and initially distinguished herself by adroitly handling several complicated restitution matters. She pours herself into her cases, such as the countless hours she spent on an assault bench trial combing through video footage to find the one frame of the incident that led to a guilty verdict. She has spontaneously generated training materials for her newer colleagues, and she ensures that the supervisors understand the needs of line prosecutors in the office. But what really sets Lupe apart is her warmth, her thoughtfulness, and her goodness as a person.

Grant Anderson is an outstanding and versatile prosecutor. This year he represented the State in 12 jury trials, 36 bench trials, 5 evidentiary hearings and several high-profile cases. The case preparation and natural trial skills Grant exhibits in any jury trial are noteworthy. His victories include: multiple post-Proposition 207 marijuana DUI trials; DUI crash case with no toxicology results; DUI case with a 0.074 BAC in which most of the officers had never testified before and the SFST evidence was challenged because the defendant was overweight and elderly; and two actual physical control parking-lot cases. Grant is a regular faculty member at APAAC and GOHS conferences. He is an innovative and dependable problem solver with an incredible work ethic. Grant has earned his reputation as an honorable and fair attorney who treats others with empathy and respect.

In addition to their regular assignments, for the past year Seth Peterson and Jared Johnson have served as Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutors (TSRPs) for the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. In this role, they provide training and support to prosecutors and law enforcement statewide. They have presented trainings on behalf of APAAC and GOHS on a variety of subjects, including motions, independent blood testing, corpus delicti in DUI cases, preparing for defense experts, motions in limine and jury instructions, cross-examination of defense experts, voir dire and jury instructions, trying a marijuana DUI case from start to finish, legislative updates, and most frequently, guidance on prosecuting DUI cases after Proposition 207. Despite their heavy caseload, they are always available to aid prosecutors and law enforcement across the state as they seek to uphold the law and hold traffic offenders accountable.

Lori Van Haren has a resolute dedication to improving the lives of veterans and works tirelessly to help make Phoenix neighborhoods safer. She is committed to the important responsibilities in the office and the pursuit of justice.

Blaine Donovan is Senior Misdemeanor Prosecutor in the Coconino County Attorney’s Office. For 13 years, he has handled every kind of misdemeanor case from 17 different referring agencies including county, state, and federal territories. Mr. Donovan also leads the misdemeanor prosecution team that trains entry-level lawyers in the fundamental skills of being the State's prosecutor. He has trained numerous prosecutors and many of the current best practitioners in our office.

Paul Hawkins is being nominated for being compassionate, discerning, and possessing humility in the first-of-its-kind Community Court in Mesa, which targets defendants committing low-level crimes who are homeless and may be mentally ill or alcohol/drug-addicted. Working with a collaborative team, Mr. Hawkins has developed a unique approach to addressing these defendants. In transitioning from a traditional enforcement model of jail, probation, and fines, he has readily adopted the model of therapeutic justice for these defendants. He has embraced the goal of this court to reduce recidivism by treating the underlying social and psychological issues that contribute to the criminal behavior.

Larissa Parker is a prosecutor in the Yavapai County Attorney’s Office who is assigned to our busiest justice court in the Verde Valley District. She expertly manages a very large caseload and has developed a reputation for being tenacious and fair when working with both pro per and represented defendants. Victims, whether people or animals, are in good hands with Ms. Parker. She exemplifies everything a prosecutor should be and treats every single case as an important case.