Crimes Against Children Speaker Evals 2020
Tuesday April 14
General Session
Vicarious Trauma
Mike Holley, First Asst. District Attorney, Montgomery County
Charging Decisions
Ronny Dale Smith, Asst. Criminal District Attorney, Tarrant County
Corroborating Evidence
Cameron Callighan, Asst. District Attorney, Harris County
Wednesday April 15
Child Sexual Abuse Track
Case Study: State v. Distefano
Sunni Mitchell, Asst. District Attorney, Williamson County, & Janna Oswald, Asst. District Attorney, Harris County
Jury Selection
Donna Berkey, Asst. District Attorney, Montgomery County
State’s Case
Sunni Mitchell, Asst. District Attorney, Williamson County, & Janna Oswald, Asst. District Attorney, Harris County
Defense Case
Jamie Felicia, Asst. District Attorney, Williamson County
Closing
Donna Berkey, Asst. District Attorney, Montgomery County
Child Homicide Track
Case Study: State v. Mathews
Jason Fine, Sherre Thomas, & Bryan Mitchell, Asst. Criminal District Attorneys, Dallas County
Jury Selection
Hope Palacios & Orlando Esquivel, Asst. Criminal District Attorneys, Hidalgo County
State’s Case
Jason Fine, Sherre Thomas, & Bryan Mitchell, Asst. Criminal District Attorneys, Dallas County
The Defense’s Case
Michele Oncken & Tiffany Dupree, Asst. District Attorneys, Harris County
Closing
Jason Fine, Asst. Criminal District Attorney, Dallas County
CPS Track
Who’s Who? Attorneys Representing DFPS; the Prosecutor’s Responsibilities; and Available Resources
Renee Castillo-De la Cruz, former ADA, Caldwell County, Judge Melissa DeGerolami, Child Protection Court of South Central Texas, & Anna Ford, Director of Litigation, DFPS
To Remove or Not to Remove
Judge Thomas Stuckey, Centex Child Protection Court South & Katie Drummond, ADA of Travis County
Starting Strong: Pleadings & Parties
Judge Charles Griffin of the Gulf Coast Children’s Court & Rebecca Lange, Llano County Attorney
Ending Strong: Termination Grounds, How to Prove Them Up, and Avoiding an Appeal
Leslie Capace & Rebecca Safavi, DFPS Appellate Attorneys
Dual Status Cases: CPS Kids in Juvenile Court
Riley Shaw, Assistant Criminal District Attorney, Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office, Deputy Division Chief – Criminal Division, & Judge Dena Fisher, 315th District Court in Harris County
Dealing with Ethical & Procedural Issues
Mauro Valdez, Supervising Attorney, CPS Unit, Bexar County District Attorney’s Office & Sarah Jennings-Speir, ADA Bexar County
Thursday April 16
Track One
Juvenile Offenders & Sex Abuse
Jana Jones, Juvenile Chief, & Erin Faseler, Civil Commitment Chief, Special Prosecution Unit
Preparing Child Witnesses
Geeta Singletary, Asst. Criminal District Attorney, Collin County
Trafficking Children
Shanna Redwine, Asst. District Attorney, Montgomery County
Jury Charges
Philip Mack Furlow, District Attorney, Dawson County
Post-Conviction Concerns
Jaclyn Lambert, Asst. Criminal District Attorney, Dallas County
Plea Agreements and Sex Offender Registration
Felicia Olyphant, First Asst. District Attorney, Rockwall County
Track Two
In the State’s Possession
Laurie English, 112th Judicial District Attorney
Special Victims & Defendants
Ivan Martinez, Asst. District Attorney, El Paso County
Trusted Predators
Tanisha Manning, Asst. District Attorney, Harris County
Understanding Physical Trauma
Dr. Rebecca Girardet, Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas School of Medicine, Houston
Kids & Memory
Dr. Christopher Frederick, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas School of Medicine, Houston
CPS Track
State of the State: Trauma Basics for Prosecutors
Elizabeth Watkins, Family Justice Director, Williamson County Attorney’s Office
Substance Abuse Issues in CPS Cases
Marco Quesada, Substance Abuse Program Specialist at DFPS, Edith King, Health and Human Services Substance Use Disorder unit Representative & Michelle Surratt, Special Litigation Attorney for DFPS
Domestic Violence in CPS Cases
Barbra Grimmer, CPS Policy Coordinator, Texas Council on Family Violence, & Jeanice Dawes, Assistant County Attorney, Harris County Attorney’s Office
Ask Early and Often: Indian Child Welfare Act
Pam Kemp, Special Projects Attorney, DFPS, & Rebecca Safavi, Appellate Attorney DFPS
Concurrent Criminal & CPS Cases
Stephen Driver, ADA & De’Anna Carlson Assistant CA, HCAO
Friday April 17
General Session
Children’s Advocacy Centers’ MDT Approach
Justin Wood, General Counsel, CACTX, Austin
Combating Cognitive Bias in Crimes Against Kids
Tiana Sanford, Asst. District Attorney, Montgomery County, & Erik Nielsen, Asst. District Attorney, Travis County
Punishment
Brian Baker, First Asst. District Attorney, Brazos County