District Attorney Stutes speaks to Abbeville Kiwanis Club

Keith Stutes is in the early stages of his tenure as District Attorney of the 15th Judicial District, an area that includes all of Vermilion Parish.
Stutes no longer has to campaign, something he did for nearly all of 2014, when he ran against longtime District Attorney Mike Harson. Voters elected Stutes, a longtime assistant district attorney under Harson, to the office last November.
It was while campaigning in Maurice last year that someone asked Stutes if things would stay the same, should he be elected.
“I told him it’s not going to be the same,” Stutes said. “It’s going to be different.”
Stutes met Tuesday with the Abbeville Kiwanis Club during the group’s weekly meeting to provide some updates on how his office, which covers Acadia, Lafayette and Vermilion Parishes, is indeed different.
“We have increased our number of assistant district attorneys to 32,” Stutes told the Kiwanians. “In the past, we have had 28 to 30. I added  two additional assistants.”
Twenty-two of those assistants are in Lafayette. Vermilion and Acadia each have five.
“It comes down to volume of business,” Stutes explained.
In the past, two of the five spots in Vermilion consisted of part-time assistants. No longer is that the case.
“The thing I am really excited and proud about,” Stutes said, “is that I have appointed two new, full-time assistants in Vermilion Parish to replace the part-time positions.”
The two new assistants, both of whom come with a great deal of experience from the Lafayette and Acadia offices, are Jay Prather and Roger Hamilton.
“It will be a benefit to have these two full-time assistant district attorneys.”
Ted Ayo, Amy Hebert and Paul Moreisi are the other three assistant district attorneys in the Vermilion Parish office. Stutes is in the office on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
“In each of the offices, I have put someone in charge,” Stutes said. “Though I would like to be, I can’t be in all three parishes (at the same time). There was a need, I thought, to put someone in charge at every office.”
Stutes assigned Prather to be in charge of the Vermilion Parish office.
“When I am not in the office,” Stutes said, “someone is in charge of that office. When you have a question, or you need something addressed, there is someone in the office who is directly under me.
“Again, I am here (in Vermilion) two days a week, as well as other times when necessary.”
With jails filled often to near capacity, Stutes said it is necessary to look at other options.
“You cannot put everyone in jail,” Stutes said. “There is just not enough jail space. There is a need to address the recidivism rate. I have beefed up pre-trail intervention. There are certain cases where people are first-time, non-violent offenders and there addiction issues. There is some hope for those. I believe in taking those cases out of the normal scope of things and putting them in some type of forced rehabilitation.
“I have come to believe that you can’t be hard all the time. You have to be conscious of rehabilitation.”
With that, Stutes said he will be looking for clear results of this program’s effectiveness.
“Responsibility is where it starts,” Stutes said. “A person needs to take responsibilities for his actions. If he undertakes serious rehabilitation and accepts restitution, to payback what they have done, ultimately that results in redemption. I believe that.
“We need to somehow salvage those who can be salvaged. We are going to see over this next year if we can get some positive results.”
A result of each election cycle involving the 15th Judicial District Attorney’s Office is the discussion of breaking it up. Some of that talk includes Lafayette, Vermilion and Acadia Parishes each being its separate districts.
“I have practiced law for almost 40 years,” Stutes said. “That has been a discussion for as long as I can remember. Every time there is a new election and the office changes hands, that discussion revives itself. There has again been some discussion.
“I don’t think it will get farther than discussion because it hasn’t gotten farther than that in the past 40 years.”
Stutes said he does not feel it will be viable for various reasons, including the cost of having a district attorney in each parish and other funding that would be needed for the courts.
“The amount that is generated in Vermilion and Acadia is probably not enough to support another salary for a DA and assistants,” Stutes said.
His opinion?
“I am proud to be the DA for the three parishes and that includes Vermilion,” Stutes told the Kiwanians. “If there were a strong effort made (to separate), I would not stand in the way of that. I will not press for the division of the district.
“I am very proud to be the DA of this district of Vermilion, Acadia and Lafayette.”
That pride will show in his efforts, Stutes affirmed.
“I am going to work hard every day,” Stutes said. “I keep saying that and I will never tire of saying that.
“I will work hard every day to earn your respect and loyalty.”