Both county attorney candidates plan changes in emphasis, operations

Washington County will have a new chief attorney to prosecute felonies and gross misdemeanors when Doug Johnson retires in December.

That person will be either Peter Orput, a Hennepin County prosecutor, or Kevin Shoeberg, a private attorney and city prosecutor for Landfall, a manufactured home community next to Oakdale. Both live in Stillwater.

Other than county commissioners, who are elected to set policy for county government, the county attorney is one of only two elected department administrators. The other, Sheriff Bill Hutton, is running for re-election unopposed.

Both Orput, 55, and Shoeberg, 45, say they would bring significant legal experience to the job.

Orput said he differs from Shoeberg in that he has successfully prosecuted hundreds of crimes including murders, burglaries, sexual and other violent assaults, environmental and white-collar crimes, and juvenile, gang and drug cases.

"I am committed to the vigorous prosecution of violent offenders and increasing felony prosecutions without increasing the financial burden on Washington County taxpayers," Orput said.

Shoeberg counters that Orput hasn't practiced law in Washington County since 1997, and he says the county attorney's office handles more civil and juvenile cases than criminal cases.

Orput said he has held leadership positions as deputy Minnesota attorney general, director of policy and legal services with the Minnesota Department of Corrections, legal counsel to the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association and other leadership roles as an assistant Hennepin County attorney.

Shoeberg said that for eight years, he's been a member of the Washington County Criminal Committee, which makes recommendations to judges regarding criminal procedures.

Both candidates have ideas about how they would manage the county attorney's office.

Orput said he would work with crime prevention and victim support programs, help sexual assault victims with services, work with schools and parents to reduce truancy, establish drug-intervention programs and provide training to lawyers, law enforcement officers and criminal justice partners "that focus on improving services to keep our families and community safe."

Shoeberg said he wants to streamline office operations to give every assistant county attorney the ability to resolve cases without needing to report or get permission from a committee. He wants to help schools and civic organizations resolve truancy and drug and alcohol problems, handle property tax appeals more efficiently, expand the Offender Recovery Program to help all criminal defendants, and work on getting a drug court in Washington County.

Shoeberg said the office "needs to be more aggressive in the prosecution of criminal cases" and wants "appropriate priority" given to certain criminal sexual conduct cases.

Johnson, 65, who has been Washington County attorney since 1999 and is a former Wadena County attorney, announced his retirement earlier this year. He earns $139,755. Hutton, 51 and elected in 2006, earns $120,375. Both volunteered for no pay raises this year.