Having served as a legal assistant in both misdemeanor and felony divisions, Elodia Ortiz now manages the Apache County Attorney’s Office most high-profile and complex cases, including sexual assault, child sexual abuse, and homicide. Elodia is known in the office for her meticulous attention to detail, unbeatable work ethic and quick laugh. She often puts in extra hours on her cases and still somehow manages to decorate her office for every holiday and bring treats for the staff. Her dedication has been especially evident over the last year in her work on the cases of State v. Baptiste and State v. Woods, one of the most serious cases of child abuse in Apache County’s history. In preparation for the June trial, Elodia has worked with multiple law enforcement agencies, medical personnel and experts, while also coordinating efforts between the prosecutors in Apache and Pima Counties handling the case. She has done it all with professionalism, resilience, and resolve. In recognition of Elodia’s extraordinary work, the Apache County Attorney’s Office nominates her for Legal Assistant of the Year.

It is a privilege to nominate Christina Crabtree, Senior Paralegal at the Pinal County Attorney’s Office, for the APAAC Paralegal Award. Christina embodies the spirit of dedication and excellence that this award celebrates. In the Major Crimes Bureau, she has consistently demonstrated exceptional skill, particularly in her role in the complex adult/juvenile homicide case of State v. Rodriguez and In Re Flores. This case involved 88,000 pages, 225 body cams, and 1.17 terabytes of data, including 1.5 million computer files. Her diligent work facilitated the resolution of this case in eleven months, providing closure and justice to the victims and their families. Additionally, Christina developed new processes to enhance our office’s Clemency procedures and actively supported two attorneys with better tracking of Rule 11 cases. Her dedication, professionalism, and high standards make her an outstanding candidate. Christina truly embodies the values of this award, and we wholeheartedly support her nomination.

Barbara Clark rejoined the La Paz County Attorney's Office in 2022 as a Legal Assistant and was quickly promoted to Legal Assistant Manager due to her positive, can-do attitude and keen attention to detail. Shortly after her promotion, multiple positions became vacant in the office, and Barbara stepped up to take on extra duties. She has been instrumental in the continued success of the Office by assisting with victim services, extraditions, and jury trials, while also mastering the duties of her new position. In addition, Barbara has trained new employees and assisted multiple attorneys in all aspects of the Legal Assistant position. Barbara has demonstrated exceptional performance and dedication to the pursuit of justice.

As the lead paralegal in this office, Michelle has been instrumental in the success of five important trials this past year: State v. Jiron, a four-victim sexual conduct with a minor case; State v. Lane, a felony murder case involving a child’s overdose of fentanyl in the house where she lived; State v. Chesley, a case of sexual assault of an elderly dementia patient; State v. Hensman, a sexual assault of teenage girl; and State v. Long, a case of sexual assault on the defendant’s two sons. Despite long hours of trial preparation, Michelle is unfailingly helpful and encouraging. She seems impervious to the stressful nature of the work and, in doing so, injects her calm professionalism into the entire proceeding. Though her work is behind the scenes, it’s visible to counsel, victims, and -most importantly- to the jury. She’s a pro and an inspiration to others in the office.

These are the qualities that Ellen Deavult, a Senior Paralegal at the Pinal County Attorney’s Office, has shown since day one: Hard-working. Meticulous. Efficient. Helpful. Highly experienced. Takes initiative. Continually goes the extra mile. And, the above qualities didn’t stop at day one. She continues to show those same core values in her day-to-day work and in her daily interactions with her attorneys, her co-workers, and her supervisor. And, as a result, her cases are taken care of in the highest regard because of the dedication she shows each day.

Cecelia Sudekum works in the Trial Division at the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. This year, during the coronavirus pandemic, she assisted her attorneys in conducting two separate jury trials involving violent offenders. Her work on those trials included creating trial exhibits, obtaining and reviewing jail calls on short notice, and reviewing body worn camera video. Despite the complexity of her work, she manages to stay caught up while still finding time to volunteer to assist other paralegals. She regularly attends training sessions and provides helpful insights into office policies and procedures that have officewide impact. Cecelia is deserving of recognition as the APAAC Legal Assistant of the Year.

Senior Legal Assistant Peni Cox is known for her tireless dedication and exceptional legal assistance to the attorneys she supports along with all her co-workers. In fact, Peni is tasked with running the Healthcare Fraud & Abuse Section in Prescott where she serves as not only an excellent Legal Assistant; she also assists with secretarial and administrative matters as well. She does all these tasks with no complaints. For the past nine years, Peni has provided her extraordinary support and unwavering dedication to the Attorney General’s Office. Peni Cox is an irreplaceable component of the investigation and prosecution team that covers nearly half of the geographic area of the State. Peni’s willingness to cover for the Prescott office and also assist Phoenix and Tucson AGO offices when needed is truly exceptional.

Alisha Showman has worked as a Legal Assistant in the Yavapai County Attorney’s Office for the last four years, taking on increasingly complex work each year and rising to every new challenge. Recently, Alisha assisted with our office’s successful prosecution of the double murder trial of Kenneth Wayne Thompson II. Alisha’s legal research and writing were key in this case that involved 70 pre-trial motions, over 30 pre-trial interviews, and 300 trial exhibits. She organized the trial notebooks and documents for all the witnesses. Alisha prepared a PowerPoint presentation consisting of exhibits that were received into evidence during the guilt phase of the trial. That presentation was the centerpiece of the State’s closing argument to support the compelling argument that the murders were not only premeditated but planned well in advance. Through this case and others, Alisha has made herself an invaluable member of the prosecution team, including trial strategy and legal arguments.

After a series of heinous crimes where a man posed as a doctor and botched plastic surgeries of numerous women in Tucson, Paralegal Project Specialist Allison Bradford worked in concert with her attorney team to ensure justice was done. She organized and cataloged thousands of pages of sensitive disclosure, ensuring that victims’ deeply personal information was properly protected. She met with agents, witnesses, and victims, drafted and edited motions, prepared trial exhibits and winnowed witness lists. She supported her attorneys with the utmost professionalism in a high-profile, high-stakes case where the victims were conned, assaulted, and suffered significant injuries. Allison worked tirelessly to prepare the case for trial; and when Gustavo Nunez pleaded guilty to 28 indicted counts with agreements for dangerous-nature consecutive sentences, she was an integral part of the prosecution team’s success in making a compelling record for the court to impose a 38 year prison sentence.

Katy Brunson is one of the finest Legal Assistants in the Pima County Attorney’s Office (PCAO). During her 15 years with PCAO, Katy has assisted in resolving more than 100 vehicular homicides. Katy is a mentor to others and is the “hub” of the Vehicular Offenses Unit. Her attorneys look to her for input and hold her opinions in the highest regard. Katy has the innate ability to connect with victims, develop a rapport with them, and provide support they need, as well as ensure they have a voice in the judicial system. Her work with witnesses ensures their cooperation and has proved invaluable to the successful prosecution of cases. Katy is dedicated to the Pima County Attorney’s Office, the community, and the victims and victim families she serves. She is passionate about holding DUI offenders accountable, protecting community safety, and ensuring that victims and their families receive justice.

Veronica is a very distinguished Paralegal in the Fraud and Identity Theft Enforcement Bureau. She has established herself as a top performer with a great talent for organization, quality work product and commitment to professionalism. Her conduct demonstrates confidence and trust in daily operations within the office and dealing with outside agencies, victims, witnesses and defense attorneys. Veronica can be relied upon to assist team members whenever possible and always maintains communications with her Supervisor. Comments from Veronica’s assigned attorneys are outstanding and reflect her professional conduct.

Jeff was the Legal Assistant in the simultaneous capital trials of State v Martinez and State v Licon. The Martinez case involved the ambush murder of Phoenix Police Officer Travis Murphy, shot multiple times with an AR-15 rifle. Licon murdered his half-brother, and then executed his 6 year old nephew, a likely witness to the earlier killing. The Martinez trial ran from November of 2014 to November of 2015, requiring over seventy witness interviews, subsequent transcriptions, expert witnesses and re-enactment videos. The Licon trial, itself spanning eight months, required organization of 1500 exhibits, pretrial interviews and preparation of over 100 witnesses, including mental health experts necessary to rebut an insanity defense. Throughout the trials Jeff was instrumental in organizing exhibits, ensuring witness travel, preparing exhibits, power points, and providing dedication to detail necessary for successful prosecution.

Linda Luke has served the people of Pima County as a Legal Assistant in the Pima County Attorney’s Office since 1997. She works in the Special Victims Unit, where her team prosecutes sexual crimes and crimes against children. Linda works with victims and witnesses daily, spending countless hours gaining their trust and preparing them for the criminal justice process. The longest tenured member of SVU, Linda is an invaluable source of experience and knowledge, providing critical training and mentoring to SVU’s newest members. Linda is the heart of SVU. During the past year, Linda provided exceptional assistance on several major cases including State v. Randall, a multiple victim child sexual abuse case, and two abusive head trauma cases: State v. Riggin and State v. Fimbres. Linda’s dedication to her teammates and to Pima County’s most vulnerable victims is unwavering. I am honored to nominate her for APAAC’s 2015 Legal Assistant of the Year.