Local registered Democrats will soon receive a mail ballot to determine who is to be the next district attorney. The choice is between Ben Lammons or Christian Champagne (currently an assistant D.A. in Durango).

Lammons favors stringent sentencing requirements for violent offenders. But, according to examples taken directly from the Herald, Champagne’s record appears profoundly bad in his efforts to obtain proper convictions, particularly with sex offenders:

In Champagne’s tenure as assistant D.A., in 2013, a first trial of a defendant charged with second degree murder ended with the judge declaring misconduct by the prosecution, and in the second trial, the jury returned without a verdict. After these two mistrials, the D.A.’s office offered a plea for a much less serious charge.

Champagne prosecuted the case of a Durango man accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 22-year-old woman in the American Legion bar. Despite video evidence of the assault, a plea agreement allowed this defendant to be sentenced to only six years in prison for kidnapping, and five years probation for attempted sexual assault. After the guilty plea (but before sentencing), two more women went to the police to report that this defendant sexually assaulted them.

A Bayfield man who admitted guilt to four charges of sexual assault of two minors was facing nine charges, including two for aggravated incest. However, under the plea agreement made by Champagne, five of the charges were dropped.

Yet another example is a man from New Mexico who was sentenced to only 90 days in jail and six years probation for rape.

I support Lammons, who has the trial skill and mindset to put these kinds of offenders in jail for a longer time and without prosecutorial blunders. He is a career prosecutor who has served as a special U.S. attorney, and in the district attorney offices in Albuquerque, Fort Collins, Durango and is now serving as Southern Ute Tribal prosecutor.

If you know an area police person, ask him or her about the candidates, And please vote for Ben Lammons.

Steve Martin

Durango