August 16, 2003
Saturday - 12:05 am

Juneau - Attorney General Gregg Renkes announced Friday the appointment of Fairbanks District Attorney Teresa Foster as the new statewide Sexual Assault Coordinator in the Office of Special Prosecutions and Appeals, and career prosecutor Jeffery O'Bryant as the new district attorney for Fairbanks.

Foster is charged with developing and implementing department-wide policies on how sexual assault and sexual abuse of children cases will be handled by state prosecutors. She will act as a statewide resource for prosecutors, providing assistance with individual cases, and will direct training in this important area for Criminal Division staff.

Aggressive prosecution in this area is a priority for the Attorney General. "Alaska's sexual assault and sexual abuse of minor rates are some of the highest in the nation. These cases are difficult to prosecute and require experienced prosecutors who have trial skills and the sensitivity to work with victims who are severely traumatized. Teri's commitment and considerable experience in the area provide the expertise that is needed to take on this huge responsibility, and I am pleased to be able to appoint her to this important position," said Attorney General Renkes.

Career Prosecutor Jeffrey O'Bryant will replace Foster as Fairbanks District Attorney. O'Bryant has worked in the Fairbanks district attorney's office for eighteen years. He brings to the position a wealth of experience, common sense, and a commitment to the mission of the department to the position.

During his tenure with the Department of Law, O'Bryant has prosecuted every type of criminal case, and appeared in courts around Alaska. He successfully prosecuted four young men for the stomping death of John Hartman in Fairbanks, receiving murder convictions in back-to-back trials. While the jury was still deliberating in the first trial, O'Bryant was making opening statements in the second. "From assault, rape, commercial guiding violations, vehicular homicides, to murder, Jeff has done it all. Jeff is an outstanding example of the caliber of prosecutors we have representing the State of Alaska," said Renkes.

O'Bryant received his law degree in 1984 from William Mitchell School of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota, and a B.A. in Linguistics and a B.A. in Yupik Eskimo from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, in 1974.

These personnel changes will become effective Monday, August 18.

Source of News Release:

Alaska Department of Law
Web Site

 

 

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