Catching up with Lindsey K. Donehue-Angler
Lindsey K. Donehue-Angler is a 2000 graduate of Newcomerstown High School. She is also a 2003 graduate of Ohio University and 2007 graduate of University of Dayton School of Law. Today, she is the Guernsey County prosecutor.
Why did you decide to become an attorney?
“Tuscarawas County Probate/Juvenile Court Judge Linda Kate attended our freshman year academic banquet at Newcomerstown High School, and she talked about the importance of choosing a career that helped your community. What she said resonated with me, and it was then that I started thinking of becoming a lawyer. After graduating from Newcomerstown High School in 2000, I attended both Ohio University and the Dayton School of Law.”
What have some of your previous occupations been?
“While in high school I was a lifeguard at Cy Young Pool. Then during college, I served as a counselor at a camp for mentally and physically handicapped children. While in law school I worked for the Volunteer Lawyers Project, which is a non-profit organization linking indigent persons with free lawyers assisting them with their lawsuits. Since 2008, I have been a lawyer. My areas of law have included Worker’s Compensation, Civil Litigation, and Criminal Litigation.”
What does your current job entail, and what do you enjoy about it?
“As the Guernsey County Prosecutor, I am the attorney that represents the County in all juvenile and felony level criminal prosecutions and civil litigation. I am often consulted by different county agencies to review their contracts and provide guidance on legal matters.
"What I enjoy the most about this position is assisting to make our community a safer place to live, work, and raise a family. Our office is developing a reputation for strong criminal prosecution, and criminal trial work is my favorite part of this job.”
What challenges have you faced with this occupation?
“The State of Ohio is constantly enacting legislation that requires certain things of local communities, but rarely, if ever, provides the additional funds to the communities to successfully fulfill that requirement. We are lucky in Guernsey County that our Senator and Representatives care about the communities they represent, but the majority of the Ohio State Senate and House of Representatives have no idea what it is like to live in rural Ohio. We do not have an extensive tax base that brings in hundreds of millions of dollars in local tax revenue. In some parts of our county, we cannot even get internet or cell phone service. Nevertheless, the State legislation continues to financially overburden local communities with responsibilities that should obviously fall on the shoulders of the State.
"The State of Ohio has clearly decided that community safety is not as important as the cost to incarcerate a person. In various cases, the State will charge a County the daily cost of incarcerating a person in an Ohio prison even though this is the clear responsibility of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections, a division of the State Government. This legislative decision did not come with any additional revenue source to the county, and Guernsey County cannot afford to pay the tab for every person committing a felony.
"It is infuriating to many of us that work in the justice system that those making these decisions at the state level do not seem to care about how these decisions make it impossible for a prosecutor, judge, or even our local law enforcement officers, to protect a small community. The rightful place for some felons is prison, not out walking the streets where they are free to commit more crime. The constant revolving door of defendants is one of the biggest challenges I, and many prosecutors, face, and a large part of why we have this revolving door is because of decisions made by people that value money over safety.”
How do you advocate for your clients?
“As the Prosecutor, my only client is Guernsey County. I can effectively do this by having a team of attorneys and staff that are committed to making Guernsey County safe. The Ohio Rules for Professional Conduct require that as prosecutors, we have the additional responsibility to be “ministers of justice” not just advocates, and assistant prosecutors Jason Farley, who is also a Tuscarawas County native, and Mark Perlaky, who resides in Tuscarawas County, along with Assistant Prosecutors Jennifer Zaayer and Maggie Schlosser know how important it is to not just be an advocate for the community, but to do what is right and fair.”
Please tell us a little bit about your family and what hobbies you enjoy.
“My husband is a detective for the Cambridge Police Department and together we have three children. Like most parents, our hobbies revolve around the kids and their school events. We reside in Guernsey County.”
What memories do you have from attending Newcomerstown High School?
“My best memories of high school were being a cheerleader, running track, and playing softball. Sports teach young adults more than just athletics. You learn responsibility and what it means to be a teammate. You also realize at times you must make personal sacrifices for the betterment of the team. I know that I would not be in the position that I am in now if I had not learned those lessons.”
What do you miss about the Newcomerstown community?
“Terry’s Pizza Shop. Without a doubt, the thing I miss the most is being able to have Terry’s Pizza on a regular basis.”
Do you have any advice for someone aspiring to become an attorney?
“You should job shadow a lawyer before you go to law school. Many people get the idea they want to become a lawyer because a television show or movie makes it look fun, but television shows are rarely accurate. If you do make the decision to be a lawyer, Southeast Ohio is a great place to have a law practice. There are plenty of older attorneys who are happy to help and act as a mentor, and there are a lot of clients that need assistance.”
This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Catching up with Lindsey K. Donehue-Angler
