District Attorney

Duties of a District Attorney

The District Attorney (DA) is the chief law enforcement officer in the county. The DA's most essential duty is investigating and prosecuting criminal offenses on behalf of the People. Learn more information about the Duties of a District Attorney (PDF).

About Us

The mission of the Criminal Division of the Office of the District Attorney is to work with all segments of the criminal justice system and the community to protect the innocent, ensure that the guilty are properly punished, and safeguard the rights of all. One part of that obligation is to separate criminals from society and to make them pay the penalty for their crimes. Another part of that same obligation is to see that innocent people accused of crimes are not prosecuted. The District Attorney's office works with more than 30 separate law enforcement agencies that may submit investigative reports for review for possible filing of criminal complaints or juvenile petitions.  In 2009 this office received 4,618 investigative reports for review, and approximately 3,455 criminal complaints and petitions were filed in Lake County courts.

Victim-Witness Division

The Victim-Witness Division provides immediate crisis response for victims of crime. The staff also functions as the liaison for victims and witnesses with all components of the criminal justice system. Funding for these services is provided primarily through various grants from the State and Federal governments. Visit the Victim-Witness page for more information.

Elder Abuse

Nearly 200,000 Californians are victims of elder abuse every year. Victims often live in silent desperation, because they believe their cries for help will go unanswered. With your vigilance, elder abuse can be stopped and its perpetrators arrested and prosecuted. Learn to recognize the telltale indicators of abuse. Download A Citizen's Guide to Preventing and Reporting Elder Abuse (PDF).

Notice

May 28, 2020
COVID-19 - Return to Work - Worksite Prevention Protocol (Approved May 19, 2020)

Return to Work - Worksite Prevention Protocol (PDF)

PRESS RELEASE

May 13, 2021

41 Elected District Attorneys Challenge Early Release of 76,000 State Prison Inmates

District Attorney Susan Krones announced today that she is joining with Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert and 39 other District Attorneys throughout the State of California in filing a petition with the Secretary of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) requesting the repeal of temporary emergency regulations awarding additional credits to more than 76,000 state prison inmates.

The regulations were passed under a claim of an emergency and first made public on Friday, April 30, 2021, at 3:00 pm.  These regulations would result in the early release of some of California’s most violent criminals including those that committed murder, rape, child molestation, and arson to name just a few.   In adopting these regulations, and claiming an emergency, the CDCR Secretary stated these regulations were necessary to comply with “the direction outlined in the Governor’s Budget Summary” presented a year ago on May 14, 2020. By invoking an emergency, the traditional regulatory scheme and transparent public comment period were bypassed. 

The administrative law petition being filed today is the first step in seeking a formal court order declaring the regulations unlawful.  If the emergency regulations are nullified by a court, CDCR would be forced to pass the regulations in the traditional manner, requiring the State’s Office of Administrative Law to provide greater transparency and allow for public input.

District Attorney Krones stated, “Modifying these credit awards without any public input is disrespectful to the victims of these most serious crimes and to crime victims everywhere.  It also creates a serious risk to public safety.  The public should be able to weigh in on this important proposal that is going to impact our community and other communities throughout the State of California.”

RE: Emergency Bail Schedule

The California State Judicial Council adopted several new emergency rules on Monday, April 6. In order to reduce county jail populations, Emergency Rule 4 established a Mandatory Statewide Bail Schedule effective no later than 5:00 pm Monday, April 13. Application of the revised bail schedule is mandatory for every Superior Court in the state. The new Bail Schedule sets ail at $0 for all misdemeanors and felony offenses except for certain listed offenses. Exceptions include all serious or violent felonies, felony, and misdemeanor domestic violence offenses, violations of domestic violence protective orders, registerable sex offense violations, possession of a firearm by a felon, felony looting, felony criminal threats, and driving under the influence offenses. For a complete list of offenses that will not be eligible for $0 bail, visit the California Courts page. The new bail schedule applies to all accused persons held in pretrial custody and will stay in effect until 90 days after the Governor declared that the state of emergency is lifted.

Nothing in the Emergency Bail Schedule restricts the ability of the court to deny bail under the California State Constitution Article I, section 12 or 28(f)(3) which means when setting, reducing, or denying bail, Superior Court Judges can take into consideration the protection of the public, the safety of the victim, the seriousness of the offense, the previous criminal record of the defendant and the probability of the defendant’s appearance at trial or hearing of the case.

We are in uncharted territory in many aspects of our everyday lives. The COVID-19 virus has impacted every institution including the courts in how business is conducted in order to enforce social distancing and protect and save lives. Due to this new Emergency Bill Schedule, I expect that a number of pretrial inmates will be released from the Lake County Jail. Any of these released inmates will be given new court dates to appear and if they fail to appear without good cause, we will be filing new charges for that failure to appear. In addition, once the order is lifted, we will request bail to be reverted to the previous amount in appropriate cases. I want to ensure the people of Lake County that as your District Attorney, I will do everything I can to protect our community in these difficult times.

Susan Krones

District Attorney