AURORA | There’s a new top prosecutor in Adams and Broomfield counties, and he’s a name that should be familiar to many Aurora residents.
Dave Young was sworn in to office Jan. 8, replacing Don Quick as district attorney for the 17th Judicial District.
Young said he has been preparing for his new job for months and expects the transition into his new post to be relatively seamless.
“There are going to be some changes, but they are positive changes,” he said.
Among them, Young said, will be a new homicide unit that includes prosecutors visiting crime scenes and working with police from the outset of a case.
Visiting a crime scene can be helpful for prosecutors, he said, because details about the case in those early moments stick with them.
He also said he hopes to launch a similar unit focused on vehicular homicides and a citizen’s academy that lets area residents learn more about the DA’s office and the job prosecutors do.
Young replacing the term-limited Quick has largely been a foregone conclusion since last spring. Young ran unopposed in the Democratic primary and again in the general election.
Quick will stay on as a prosecutor in the DA’s Broomfield office. In addition to managing that office and prosecuting cases there, Young said Quick will also be part of the management team.
Having a former elected DA in the office will be helpful, Young said, because he will be able to turn to Quick to advice when he needs it.
Young came to Adams County DA’s office in 2005 after working as a prosecutor for more than a decade in the state’s 4th Judicial District, which includes Colorado Springs. His move to Adams County followed the 2004 election, when Young backed the losing candidate in a race that pitted two prosecutors from the same office against each other.
Having gone through a contentious election before, Young said last year’s race was particularly gratifying because there was no split among the staff.
During his tenure in Adams County, Young has handled several high-profile cases in recent years, including some out of Aurora. In 2005, he prosecuted Damien Arguello, who killed his wife and infant son at their north Aurora home. Arguello pleaded guilty to two counts of murder and was sentenced to life in prison.
Young also prosecuted Brian Allen Washington for the 2006 slaying of Aurora police Detective Mike Thomas. Jurors convicted Washington on murder and he is serving what amounts to a life sentence.
One of the drawbacks to being the elected DA is that it means less time in the courtroom, Young said.
“One of the reasons I’m a prosecutor is because of that courtroom, and helping victims of crime get through that process,” he said.
But, like Quick did when he was DA, Young plans to keep a small case load and prosecute some homicide cases.