May 27, 2016 at 4:19 p.m.
DA's office gets new part-time assistant DA
Office will be fully staffed May 31
DA's office gets new part-time assistant DA
Sowinski, who was born and raised in Sugar Camp and graduated from Three Lakes High School, brings a wealth of experience to the position.
She served as an assistant district attorney in Milwaukee County, primarily handling child welfare cases. About 2 1/2 years ago, she moved back to the Northwoods to be an assistant corporation counsel in Vilas County. She left that position to take the Oneida County job.
She is now one of three attorneys who represent the state in criminal cases heard in the two circuit court branches.
When it comes to prosecution, she is used to a little higher-speed work environment, she said.
"The pace is different, certainly the volume is different," Sowinski said. " (In Milwaukee County there are) multiple buildings, a lot more judges, different types of crime. So in that respect, there are a lot of things that are different."
Sowinski took over the position formerly held by Jodi Bednar-Clemens, who accepted a job as prosecutor/corporation counsel in Lac du Flambeau. At about the same time, full-time assistant district attorney Steve Michlig retired. This left the district attorney's office severely undermanned.
"When Jodi (left), that happened pretty quickly," Schiek said. "This was right around the time that Steve was retiring. (Michlig retired) that same week, so we knew there was a position that would become available. Somebody told me that Mary Sowinski was working as an assistant corporation counsel up in Vilas, and she was resigning that week. She sent me her resume, we set up an interview and it was a perfect fit."
Sowinski originally applied for the full-time job that Michlig held, then found out that there was a part-time position that better fit her needs.
"She had other stuff she wanted to do," Schiek said. "Because she had worked as an assistant DA in Milwaukee County for 15 years, she was able to get the retirement benefits transferred over."
Finding someone with Sowinski's experience so quickly helped greatly as Schiek had been handling all the court appearances himself.
"I thought I wasn't going to be able to fill that because it's a unique position," he said. "If you're not going to get the benefits, why work for 20 hours a week and still have to worry about private practice? For most people, it just isn't feasible, but for her, it's what she wanted."
Sowinski has already started handling intake sessions and is acquiring criminal cases she will follow through final resolution.
While she didn't handle juvenile cases in Milwaukee County, the state has moved to a more rehabilitation-based approach for minor offenders since she left.
"So I'm really looking forward to learning how that works up here," she said.
Sowinski said Oneida County is like Vilas County in that the population - and the crime rate - explodes during the summer. She's been warned to expect her caseload to rise with the temperature.
"It's a much different pace in the summertime then in the winter," Sowinski said.
A full-time assistant district attorney will join the staff on May 31. This will bring the office back to full staffing level of practicing attorneys, which will be a great relief for Schiek.
"I've just been plugging the holes in the dam and just work, work, work," he said.
The Ashlee Martinson double homicide case is set for a sentencing hearing on June 10, a date that was moved once already because Schiek's projected vacation was during the first scheduled date. He said he was becoming concerned that unless he got the two positions filled he might not get a break this summer.
"But Mary has picked up on everything, she's just amazing," he said. "She took the ball, took off running and she's throwing touchdowns."
The walls were still bare in her office at the district attorney's office when she sat for this interview, and she laughed when she was asked if she was going to decorate them.
"I understand my predecessor had a bearskin rug on the wall," she said. "I won't be going that far."
Jamie Taylor may be reached at [email protected].
Comments:
You must login to comment.