DA NAMES TOP PROSECUTORS, PRESENTS ANNUAL AWARDS

RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA, March 12, 2008: Deputy District Attorney Mike Hestrin received the Prosecutor of the Year Award for his outstanding trial work in 2007. Hestrin was honored for convictions in three high profile murder cases. Those cases included Tony Lee Reynolds in which Reynolds received the death penalty for the rape and murder of a pregnant mother and her unborn child, Billy Ray Castleberry in which Castleberry was convicted of second degree murder for killing his 12-year-old son, and for obtaining the death penalty in the longest pending case Riverside County history, Javier Victorianne, who brutally raped and murdered a Riverside woman and a young girl from Banning.

District Attorney Rod Pacheco welcomed district attorney staff to the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort in Indian Wells on Friday evening, March 7, for the 25th Annual PRIDE Awards. The awards were presented to honor prosecutors and other staff members for their outstanding work in 2007.

"Tonight's outstanding award winners are the best in their respective fields. Each makes a significant contribution to making our communities a safer place," Pacheco said.

Prosecution Team of the Year was awarded to Michael Quesnel, Michael Silverman, Ron Braasch, Jerry Fox, Chris Hammond, Leonard Ortiz, Wendy Carlson, Jeannie DeShazo, Janet Grant, Bonnie Guy, Diana Zahn, and Pam Siegman for their collaborative work in Riverside County's biggest multi-million fraud case of Daniel Heath and Associates. Heath and Associates bilked 1700 senior citizens out of $190 million. Many of the fraud victims lost their entire life savings in this scam. John Heath was recently sentenced to 28 years in state prison. Sentencing for Daniel Heath and Denis O'Brien is scheduled for April.

Named Felony Prosecutors of the Year were Deputy District Attorneys Brandon Smith and Elan Zektser (Western Division), Daniel DeLimon and Jess Walsh (Southwest), and Victoria Cameron and Rosalind Miller (Eastern Division). Misdemeanor Prosecutor of the Year awards went to Kevin Beecham (Western Division), Karrie Wood (Southwest), and Manny Bustamante (Eastern Division). Appellate Prosecutor of the Year was Alan Tate.

The Investigator of the Year for Riverside County was awarded to John Cook. Investigator of the Year for the Western Division was Nicholas LaBella, Reece Burchett (Southwest) and Ryan Monis and Richard Twiss (Eastern Division). The Investigative Technicians were Margaret Swank (Western Division), Teresa Davis (Southwest), and Sara Gil (Eastern Division). Legal Support Assistant of the Year went to Michelle Vargas.

Named Victim Advocates of the Year were Cammie Dudek (Countywide), Jose Ochoa (Western Division), Wendy Bankston (Southwest), and Barbara Dreis (Eastern Division).

Group awards were presented to Wenndy Brito-Gonzalez, Terri Canales, Deanna DiNicola, Danielle Espinoza, Enrique Maciel, Laura Rodriguez, Tahirah Sutton, Valerie Thompson, Berenice Tobias, and Janet West of the Victim Claims Unit. Joy Allison, Lydia Balland, Wendy Bankston, Cammie Dudek, Marvin Esquivel, Claudia Gallardo-Licea, Diane Kalp, Jeanette Krempin, Frances Marshall, Richard Pacheco, Julio Perez, and Elizabeth Smith from Southwest Victim Services. And, Sara Gil, Jeff Lederman, Tom Reid, and Richard Twiss of the Bureau of Investigations Homicide Unit in the Eastern Division.

Paralegal of the Year award went to Michele Setzer of the Appellate Division.

The Administrative Employee of the Year was Angelle Straka.

Legal Support Assistants of the Year were Judy Smith (Western Division), Autum Sickles (Southwest), and Cindy Cerda and Jessica Ellerbroek (Eastern Division).

Special Awards were also presented for Leadership to Chief Deputy District Attorney Michael Rushton; Excellence in Public Safety to Deputy District Attorneys Jack Lucky and Greg Albright, and the Riverside County Gang Task Force, Sergeant Frank Assumma, Investigator Ron Furtado, and Investigator Long Nguyen; the Bulldog Award to Samah Shouka; the Stick It to 'Em Award to Blaine Hopp; the Rocky Award to Tom Daly and Steve Morgan; Commitment to a Victim's Voice to Marilyn Baldwin; Big Heart to Charles Lockwood; and Firearms Excellence to Rodney Bishop.