State's Attorney for Garrett County
Frederick A. Thayer Courthouse, Room 200
313 East Alder Street
Oakland, MD 21550
Telephone:(301) 334-1974
Fax: (301) 334-5012
Lisa Thayer Welch
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State's Attorney
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Tracey Henline
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Assistant State's Attorney
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Barry Levine
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Assistant State's Attorney
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General Information
The State's Attorney's Office for Garrett County is responsible for the prosecution of all criminal cases within the geographical boundries of Garrett County. The constitution of Maryland created the office. Each political jurisdiction in Maryland has its own elected State's Attorney.
The State's Attorney is elected every four years. The State's Attorney represents the State (citizens/victims) in all criminal cases in both District, and Circuit Courts. However, if a case is appealed, the office of the Attorney General then represents the State.
The State's Attorney's Office handles criminal cases only; Civil cases are handled by private attorneys, the County Attorney, and the Office of the Attorney General.
While our system of justice is an "adversarial" one, the State's Attorney is also a "minister of justice" and, therefore, has certain obligations to the defendent (person charged with a crime), as well as to the State. For example, if we have evidence that may show the defendent is innocent or that someone else may have committed the crime, we are obligated to turn that evidence over to the defendent's attorney. If the defense attorney has evidence that tends to show the client is guilty, the defense attorney is not obliged to turn that evidence over to us.
Also, prosecutors are ethically bound to dismiss a case if they do not feel there is sufficient evidence to prove a person guilty "beyond a reasonable doubt." We cannot, ethically, say "we'll take our best shot and let the judge decide."
The Garrett County State's Attorney's Office is separated into two divisions. The Circuit Court Division deals with felonies and carry the responsibility of substantially more jail time for the defendent. The Circuit Court Division also handles all juvenile matters.
The District Court Division handles all cases within the jurisdiction of the Garrett County District Court. District Court cases differ greatly from those of the Circuit Court: daily dockets run at a much faster pace, there are no juries, and trials rarely last more than a few hours. Typical cases in these courts involve domestic violence, drunk driving, assault, and theft.
Several decades ago, the State's Attorney's Office simply prosecuted criminal cases in the Circuit, District, and Juvenile Courts. While that is still the primary function of the office, it has now expanded its role in many ways. Perhaps the biggest change has been the expansion of the Victim-Witnesses Service Unit. Victim Advocates help victims of a crime find their way through the muddy waters of a criminal or juvenile case.
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