LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County’s sitting district attorney said she is running for a second term.

Endorsed by two retired Lake County Judges – Robert L. Crone Jr. and Arthur H. Mann – Susan Krones is kicking off her campaign with a serious message, “Experience in criminal law and prosecution is the foundation for effective leadership.”

Krones is being challenged by attorney and former Lake County supervisor, Anthony Farrington.

Krones explains that Lake County communities deserve experienced and tested leadership to tackle the tough criminal cases that come daily to the District Attorney’s Office.

“To have the endorsement of two distinguished Lake County Judges, and U.S. Congressman Mike Thompson is a terrific way to begin campaigning for reelection,” Krones said.

As a 29-year career prosecutor, Krones has prosecuted a wide variety of cases — murder, sexual assault of children and adults, and many other felonies. Throughout her career, she has put away hundreds of violent criminals.

One recent case stands out. In 2020 Krones successfully prosecuted Alan Ashmore for killing two people and shooting at a California Highway Patrol officer. Ashmore pleaded no contest and was sentenced to 140 years to life in prison.

In another case, Damon Pashilk was sentenced to 15 years prison for setting four fires including the Clayton fire.

“My chief deputy, Richard Hinchcliff, did an excellent job in preparing this case but the reality is it all comes down to what we can prove in court. We had several meetings with experienced Cal Fire Investigators that investigated these fires. It isn’t always possible to put a criminal behind bars for life even though they deserve it. The bottom line is that Mr. Pashilk is in prison where he belongs and our office will be there to oppose any possibility of early release,” Krones said.

Krones chose her profession early. “When you love what you do and stick to it, you gain knowledge and experience that becomes vital to do the job well and make a difference in the community. That’s been my approach. I am not a politician. My goal is not to climb the political ladder. I want to continue to put my experience and training into serving the public as district attorney.”

She continued, “The top job as district attorney is not a training ground for inexperienced politicians with pie in the sky promises they can’t keep. Coming into the job you must stand ready to be a trainer – not the trainee. Expecting others to do what you don’t know how to do yourself is not leadership. That is why it is so important to have experience as a prosecutor before going for the top job.”

Krones promises effective leadership based on years of experience as a prosecutor as well as her years in the U.S. Army as an attorney.

She has extensive training in all aspects of criminal law including specialized training in prosecuting child sexual assault, domestic violence and elder abuse.

As district attorney, Krones said she continues to handle cases in court and mentors new deputy district attorneys.

“As the district attorney you have to know what is happening in court and the issues that the line prosecutors are dealing with every day. The job is not only about making policies and overseeing the office. It includes making leadership decisions based on the realities of court on a daily basis,” Krones said.

A full understanding of the laws – especially those recently passed to reduce inmate populations – is foundational to the job, she said.

“New regulations recommended by the Department of Corrections seek to dramatically increase prison credits for inmates in prison for serious and violent felonies,” Krones said. “That is why I joined 39 other district attorneys statewide in a lawsuit to prevent these credits from implementation.”

Krones said an essential aspect of leadership in the District Attorney’s Office is experience being in the trenches prosecuting all manner of crimes and then guiding novice prosecutors with their cases.

She explained that anyone seeking to serve as district attorney should have some criminal prosecution jury trial experience. “That is our bread and butter of what we do. My opponent has never prosecuted a jury trial and refuses to divulge how many criminal cases he has actually taken to jury trial as defense counsel. That is a red flag.”

Krones agrees that the courts have a backlog of trials. COVID-19, as most would understand, is the culprit, she said.

“My opponent proposes to get rid of the backlog of misdemeanor cases by denying defendants the right to a jury trial and instead taking all the cases to a judge for a court trial,” Krones said. “Under Article 16 of the California Constitution defendants have a right to jury trial for all felonies as well as misdemeanor charges. This is something every attorney would know if they have any experience in criminal law.”

To learn more about Krones’ qualifications for reelection, the public is invited to join her on Sunday, April 3, from 2 to 5 p.m. at Wine in the Willows, 125 Park St. in Lakeport for her official campaign kick-off. Refreshments will be served.