 |
 |
||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|||||||
Crimes Against Children
The District Attorney's Office includes a specialized department devoted exclusively to the prosecution of cases involving the sexual and physical abuse of children. The felony prosecutors and investigators assigned to this Division have extensive training and experience in the preparation and trial of these types of cases, including the use of child witnesses.
This Office understands the potential emotional and psychological effects on victims and their families resulting from the abuse itself and from the judicial process. Therefore, every effort is made to minimize further trauma while obtaining justice in each case. In order to help child victims feel more comfortable, prosecutors meet with each child and his or her family prior to the presentation of the case to the grand jury, explain the judicial process in age-appropriate terms and answer any questions. Contact between prosecutors and victims continue after the case is assigned to one of the district courts, through any plea negotiations and/or in preparation for trial.
This department also works in conjunction with the Collin County Children's Advocacy Center (www.cacplano.org). The CCCAC consists of numerous agencies that work together in the criminal and civil investigation of child abuse. Prosecutors and investigators in the District Attorney's Office collaborate with and provide ongoing training for other members of the multidisciplinary teams specializing in child abuse, including law enforcement officers who investigate the cases, professionals who interview the children, medical personnel, and therapists who treat the victims and their families.
|
Michelle L. Voirin is board certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Baylor University in 1987 in Journalism and English and her Juris Doctorate from Baylor University School of Law in 1990. A prosecutor for 11 years, she has been with the Collin County District Attorney's Office since 1998 and formerly served as a felony prosecutor for the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office. She spent three years as an attorney in private practice, primarily in the areas of civil litigation and family law. She has served as an instructor in numerous trainings for law enforcement and other agencies in the area of child abuse investigation and prosecution. Michelle L. Voirin – Ext. 4338; mvoirin@co.collin.tx.us |
Crystal Levonius graduated in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from New Mexico State University. She earned her Juris Doctorate from Southwestern University School of Law in 1999. Upon completion of law school, she passed bar exams in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. As a law student, Crystal was a member of the Honors Interscholastic Trial Advocacy Program and was a semi-finalist at the National Trial Competition. Additionally, Crystal interned in the Crimes Against Peace Officer’s Section of the Los Angeles County District Attorneys office. Before coming to this office, Crystal was a civil attorney based in New Mexico.
Jo'Dee Neil is a May 2004 graduate of the Dedman School of Law at Southern Methodist University. Jo'Dee earned her Bachelors of Arts in English from Texas A & M-Corpus Christi, where she graduated summa cum laude in 2001. After her first year of law school, Jo'Dee clerked for an environmental law firm in New York, followed by six weeks of international comparative death penalty studies in Oxford, England. The following summer, Jo'Dee interned for United States District Judge Janis Graham Jack of the Southern District of Texas. After serving as a student prosecutor in the Dallas District Attorney's Office as part of SMU's prosecution clinic in Fall 2003, Jo'Dee graduated with her Juris Doctorate and passed the Texas Bar Exam. Before joining the Collin County District Attorney's Office, Jo'Dee practiced family law with her father, W.R. "Bill" Neil, in Dallas.
Shannon Miller received her Bachelor of Arts from Sam Houston State University in 1996. She attended South Texas College of Law where she received her Juris Doctor degree in 2001, while working as an intern at the Harris County District Attorney's Office. Ms. Miller served as an assistant district attorney in Brazoria County, Texas from March, 2002 until she joined the Collin County District Attorney's Office in November 2006.
Marletta Scribner, started her law enforcement career at the Fannin County Sheriff’s Office in 1977. She graduated as salutatorian of her class at the Texoma Regional Police Academy and then moved to the Warrant Division of the Collin County Sheriff’s Office. Ms. Scribner began her employment with the DA’s Office as a legal secretary, but was soon selected by Judge Curt Henderson to serve as his bailiff in County Court at Law and later the 219th Judicial District Court. In 1998, she returned to the DA’s Office as a criminal investigator and was named deputy chief on January 1, 2003. As a criminal investigator, Ms. Scribner has been assigned to the Family Justice Division, its Crimes Against Children section, and as a felony investigator in each of the district courts in Collin County.
Investigator Kenny Newton began his Law Enforcement career in 1987. His duties included patrol and tactical entry. Investigator Newton joined the Collin County District Attorney’s Office in December 2004 and serves as the Investigator for County Court at Law No. 4. He is married and he is a proud father of three children.
Kathy Jeffcoat Schroeder was a Contract Analyst for a Dallas oil and gas company before choosing to make a career change. She earned a certificate in Office Administration and Legal Office Support before joining the District Attorney’s Office in 1995. She began her career at the D.A.’s office as a felony secretary for the prosecutor’s assigned to the 199th Judicial District Court before being transferred to work for the prosecutor’s in the 366th Judicial District Court in 1997. In 2001, she filled the newly created position of Legal Secretary in the Crimes against Children Unit. Mrs. Schroeder now applies her decade of experience in the District Attorney’s Office to support four prosecutors and two investigators in the very fulfilling and rewarding job of seeking justice for the abused children of Collin County.
Sandy Schilling came to the District Attorney's Office in October, 1996. She has worked as a secretary in various sections of the District Attorney's Office including: Hot Checks, Victim Assistance, and Misdemeanor. She has worked in the Family Justice Division as a felony secretary, and her current position is in the Crimes against Children section of this division.
 |
email this page |  |
print this page |