Help on the way for overloaded D.A. office

By Shavonne Potts

spotts@salisburypost.com

Rowan County District Attorney Bill Kenerly will soon be getting help to deal with his office's high caseload.

Tim Gould, currently an assistant district attorney working in Catawba and Caldwell counties, will be in Rowan Dec. 1.

Gould is a graduate of Duke University School of Law. He's been an assistant district attorney for 21/2 years in Caldwell County and worked for two years in Durham County.

In Rowan, Gould will work primarily in superior court.

The Rowan District Attorney's Office currently has seven assistant district attorneys.

"This vacancy was created when Bonnie Busby retired," Kenerly said.

The position was frozen because of state budget issues. The office got an allocation for the eighth assistant district attorney in the summer of 2008.

When Gould arrives, there will be five prosecutors in superior court instead the current four.

The other three will work in district, juvenile and probable cause court. They will also handle any other district matters.

Although assistant district attorneys focus on superior or district court, they all do a bit of everything, Kenerly said.

And they'll have more places in which to work. The county opened new court space earlier this year.

"We can have people in court more often and get more done," Kenerly said.

Not all district attorney offices across the state have been allowed to hire, and Rowan is not likely to add another position soon.

The state uses a formula to determine whether a district attorney's office can hire. That formula looks in part at the percentage of cases and staff.

"There won't be an expansion over the next couple of years," Kenerly said.

Last year, someone on the administrative staff retired, leaving a vacancy. The office has not yet filled that position.