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“In Georgia, we have a fair and just judicial system that allows for differences of opinion.”  Author Unknown

Last year, Carroll and Heard counties were split from the Coweta Judicial Circuit to form the new West Georgia Circuit.  It was an excellent decision and has brought justice closer to our people. 

Governor Kemp had to choose a chief prosecutor, known as the District Attorney, for our new circuit.  He made an excellent choice.

Her name is Sarah Japour.

I have known Sarah and her husband, Justin, for over twenty years.  Sarah has prosecuted numerous cases that I have defended.  While we have not exactly agreed on every case, that is the nature of the judiciary in our republic.  I do know that she has always made decisions based on what she thought was the right thing to do. 

Sarah is a career prosecutor with twenty five years of legal experience. For her, it has always been a natural calling. 

She graduated from Samford’s law school in 1998.  Soon thereafter, she met our honorably and former District Attorney Peter Skandalakis.  Pete served our community for many years.  He instilled in her the philosophy of “Prosecution should be carefully handled; you should always make decisions based on what you should do, and not what the power of the office allows you to do.” He also served as a primary mentor to Sarah.  She was also mentored by former District Attorney for the Tallapoosa Circuit, Jack Browning, and my primary mentor, Gerry Word. 

She has also been wise in selecting her assistant district attorneys.  Her chief assistant is a local attorney named Wade Mason.  I have handled a number of cases and trials against Wade.  I have found him to be energetic, talented, loyal, and very hard working.  As with Sarah, our community benefits from having Wade Mason as a prosecutor. 

Another wise decision that she has made is being present in the courtroom and handling cases.  Most District Attorneys will spend almost all of their time in their office.  They will delegate most cases to their Assistant District Attorneys and take on a management role.  Sarah is in court.  Sarah handles and tries her own cases and is seen by our citizens.  She has managed to put together an excellent team.  But, good lawyers cannot seem to stay out of the courtroom. 

Prosecution does not always mean trying to put someone in prison.  Sarah is a public servant at heart and believes that dangerous people who threaten our community and are found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt should be incarcerated. 

However, there are many people who are addicted to drugs, make a one time mistake, or just make a poor decision that does not physically harm anyone.  Chief Judge John Simpson has been instrumental in setting up accountability courts.  These include veteran’s court, drug court, mental health court, and others.  These courts give an offender the opportunity to stay out of jail and/or prison if they follow the rules of the court. 

Sarah is an adamant supporter of these accountability courts and weighs in on who is and who is not appropriate for admission into these courts.

She is also a proponent of our pre trial diversion program.  When someone is charged with a low grade crime and does not have a criminal history, they are oftentimes referred to pre trial diversion.  This program requires the offender to pay a fine, perform community service, and other conditions based on the nature of the crime.  If the offender completes pre trial diversion, he or she will have a clean record without a conviction. 

When I spoke to Sarah this week, I asked her why she took the position that the governor offered.  She said, “I am humbled and grateful to have the responsibility of protecting our people, seeking justice, and helping victims of crimes.  I have an open door policy to discuss my office with anyone in the public and I will always show transparency in my duty and the duties of my employees.”

Yes, over the years Sarah has given me a headache or two.  But, that is her job.  She has always been a formidable adversary and at the same time a good friend. 

I am proud that Sarah Japour is our new District Attorney.