Six San Diego County District Attorney prosecutors were honored by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors with proclamations recognizing their outstanding contributions to public safety over the past year. The proclamations were announced at Tuesday’s board meeting.
“I’m very proud of the outstanding work of these particular Deputy District Attorneys,” said San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis. “It’s notable that these individuals are representative of the dedication and quality of our entire prosecutorial team throughout the office.”
The six Deputy District Attorneys honored include:
· Mark Amador and James Fontaine were selected as Prosecutors of the Year. Over the past five years, these two attorneys have dedicated themselves to the Los Palillos prosecution, a case involving 17 defendants; nine murders; and 15 kidnappings. This is one of, if not the largest, murder prosecutions in the history of San Diego County. In the last year, Amador acted as lead prosecutor and Fontaine as second chair in a six-month jury trial of two Los Palillos defendants for three murders and two kidnappings. Fontaine acted as lead prosecutor and Amador as second chair in a six-week jury trial against one female defendant for three kidnappings. All defendants in both cases were convicted and face sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
All others were given Outstanding Achievement Awards.
· Victor Ou: While in the Insurance Fraud Division, he led “Operation Hit and Run,” a major investigation into 50 suspects conspiring to cause 15 automobile collisions in order to defraud insurance companies. Ou successfully prosecuted a six-month trial against nine defendants, believed to be the largest multiple defendant jury trial in the history of San Diego County.
· David Bost: While in the South Bay Gangs Unit, he tried two street gang members for the attempted murder of a rival gang member and the attempted murder of a Chula Vista Police officer, who pursued them after the shooting. Bost obtained a guilty verdict on all counts. During his career, Bost has tried more than 15 murders and served as both team leader and assistant chief of the Gangs Unit.
· Claudine Ruiz: Over the past year in the Family Protection Division, she tried four serious cases including a murder trial against David Ditto who was charged with killing his wife. Ruiz obtained guilty verdicts in the case, overcoming the testimony of several experts who opined the victim died from a tumble down the stairs rather than being strangled to death at the hands of her husband.
· Daniel Owens: While in the Gangs Unit the past year, he spent approximately 100 days in trial before a jury. Owens led one significant kidnapping trial and acted as part of the Los Palillos prosecution team in two other trials: one a case involving three kidnappings; the other case involving three murders and two kidnappings. All defendants in both cases were convicted and face multiple life sentences.
