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Lincoln County district attorney uses public comment to allege interference by county staff and request investigation
Summary
District Attorney Jenna Wallace used public comment to allege she has faced interference, unauthorized budget deductions and monitoring by county staff, named County Counsel Kristen Ewell and David Collier in complaints, and urged the board to investigate; the board did not respond during the meeting.
During the public‑comment period on March 19, 2025, Lincoln County District Attorney Jenna Wallace addressed the Board of Commissioners and said she has encountered interference and retaliation from county staff and asked the board to investigate her allegations.
Wallace told the board that, over the past nine months, she has encountered roadblocks and lacks the authority she believes should accompany her elected office. She alleged employees in the county counsel’s office and human-resources office had blocked or controlled her office’s actions and that $34,000 was “secretly deducted” from her budget. Wallace named Kristen Ewell (county counsel) and David Collier (position not specified in her remarks) in describing individuals who, she said, had “blocked,” “threatened” and “attempted to silence” her. She said she had raised concerns internally on three occasions and that those complaints were not properly investigated. Wallace said Commissioner Miller was the only commissioner who had repeatedly sought transparency and had asked the board to meet in executive session to address the concerns.
Wallace described personal motivations for pursuing victims’ rights and said repeatedly that she would continue in office and press for accountability; she asked the commissioners to seek the truth and investigate the conduct she described. Chair Hall interrupted twice to remind Wallace of the three‑minute public‑comment limit and to warn about the meeting’s rule against personal attacks; Wallace continued past three minutes by request and concluded by saying she would not be silenced.
The board did not respond to Wallace’s remarks during the meeting; Chair Hall noted as a matter of practice the board typically does not respond directly to public comment during the same session. Commissioners or staff may choose to follow up after the meeting if they determine a formal response or investigation is warranted.
