August 29, 2022 11:05 AM UTC

Polis Appoints DA in Southern Colorado

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• by: Colorado Pols

Governor Jared Polis today appointed Anne Kelly as the new District Attorney in JD-12 (San Luis Valley).

Attorney General Phil Weiser had been providing oversight in the district since Democrat Alonzo Payne resigned in early July after numerous complaints about a lack of timely communications regarding prosecutions and allegations that Payne had violated the Colorado Crime Victim Rights Act.

As Shelly Bradbury of The Denver Post reports:

Kelly will take over Thursday as district attorney in the 12th Judicial District, which covers Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Mineral, Rio Grande and Saguache counties.

She previously worked as a prosecutor on the Front Range, working in the 18th, 19th and 20th judicial districts, which include Weld, Arapahoe and Douglas counties, as well as Boulder, where she was credited with starting a program aimed at helping victims of domestic violence, the Daily Camera newspaper reported.

She will replace Alonzo Payne, a reform-minded prosecutor who resigned in July amid a recall effort led by the city of Alamosa and backed by residents upset with his style of prosecution, professionalism and treatment of victims — and amid an unprecedented investigation by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser into violations of the state’s Victim Rights Act.

Kelly was chosen by a panel of law enforcement veterans. She will serve as the DA in JD-12 until a new District Attorney is elected.