Penobscot County approves $6,000 forfeiture funds to hire part-time intern for DA's office pending bar admission

The Penobscot County Commissioners on April 15 unanimously approved a request from the district attorney's office to use criminal forfeiture funds to hire a part-time, paid junior intern to begin work pending bar admission.

Assistant district attorney staff told the commission that two prosecutors are leaving within the coming month, including a part-time prosecutor, Maggie Gray, who is retiring in May, and another full-time prosecutor who is moving out of state. The DA's office said those departures will leave the office short of two full-time prosecutors and that combining a recently filled vacancy with Gray's role creates an opportunity to convert hours into a full-time prosecutor role going forward.

To bridge training and staffing needs, the DA asked to hire a senior law student or recent graduate pending bar admission on a temporary basis. The position would be paid $25 per hour for 24 hours per week for roughly 10 weeks, funded from the office's criminal forfeiture account rather than the county's operating budget. County staff reported approximately $14,409 currently in that forfeiture account and expected to add several thousand dollars in the near term via final forfeiture orders.

Commissioners voted to approve $6,000 from the criminal forfeiture account to fund the introductory intern position. The motion passed unanimously.

Ending: County officials said they will monitor the account balance and provide follow-up on candidate start dates and program administration. The intern will perform non-attorney duties until sworn in as an attorney, at which point regular prosecutor duties would follow.