Sixteen Individuals Recognized for Outstanding Service to Crime Victims

PORTLAND, ME—United States Attorney Paula D. Silsby announced today that 16 individuals were recognized for their outstanding service to crime victims in an awards ceremony hosted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office on April 23, 2010.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office annual awards are presented in conjunction with the nation’s observance of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. It is a time to raise individual and public awareness about the rights and needs of crime victims, the challenges that victims face in seeking help and hope in the aftermath of crime, and the positive impact individuals and communities can have by providing services and support to victims and survivors of crime.

The recipients of this year’s awards were: Sheriff Donna Dennison and Detective Kirk Guerrette of the Knox County Sheriff’s Office; David Tibbets and Matthew Pryor of Lighthouse Teen Center; Paul Connair and Susannah Fuentes of the Preble Street Resource Center; Officers Jay Twomey and Joseph Ezepek of the Portland Police Department; Assistant District Attorney Katherine Tierney and Victim-Witness Advocate Kathy Stock of the Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office; Special Agent James Lechner and Victim-Witness Specialist Jennifer Keyes of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Detective Laurie Northrup of the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit; Electronic Court Filing (ECF) System Specialist Michelle Mitchell of the U.S. District Court; and Paralegal Specialist Nancy Evans and Information Technology Specialist Karen Dube of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

More information about National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, the Crime Victims Fund, and victim assistance and compensation programs is available at: www.ojp.gov.