FROM STAFF REPORTS
District Attorney Sarah Kirkman has filed the necessary paperwork to run for re-election in 2020 in Judicial District 22A, which covers Iredell and Alexander counties.
“I am seeking another term in order to continue to serve my community by prosecuting offenders and obtaining justice for victims,” Kirkman, a Republican, said Tuesday in a statement to Iredell Free News.
Candidate filing began on Monday and runs through December 20. Primaries are scheduled for March 3.
Kirkman, who is seeking her fourth term, has worked in the DA’s office since 1997. She prosecuted cases as an assistant district attorney for 12 years before being elected district attorney in November of 2008.
Outside of the courthouse, she serves as a member of the N.C. Child Fatality Task Force, the Mooresville-South Iredell Crimestoppers Board of Directors, the Domestic Violence Task Force of Iredell, the Domestic Violence Task Force of Alexander County, the Iredell Homicide Support Group, and the Drug-Alcohol Coalition of Iredell. She also chairs the N.C. Administrative Office of the Courts Criminal Forms Committee.
She cites as major accomplishments adding an additional day of H&I Felony District Court each month to address low-level felonies more quickly; adding Oakley, a facility dog, to the DA’s Office staff to help comfort child victims of crime; the addition of four Victim Service Coordinators to the staff provided by a grant from the Governor’s Crime Commission; and continued county funding for one assistant district attorney position to focus on expediting the handling of cases involving defendants who are jailed and cannot make bond.
Under Kirkman’s leadership, the DA’s Office has participated in community service projects at Fifth Street Shelter, and Iredell Christian Ministries, along with providing goody bags for cancer patients at Iredell Memorial Hospital, donating to My Sister’s House and participating in Back the Blue 5K and the Walk for Recovery.
Kirkman earned her law degree from Campbell University after graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Statesville High School.
While in office, Kirkman said she has emphasized the importance of the prosecution of violent crimes, impaired driving, crimes of domestic violence and child sexual assaults, and to work with law enforcement officers on cold cases.
“I think the success of our prosecutions is due in large part to our great relationship with law enforcement agencies in the district as well as such agencies as Dove House which work with us to better serve the community,” said Kirkman.
If she is re-elected in 2020, Kirkman said she will continue working to find ways to make Judicial District 22-A safer, and continue “to prosecute cases as swiftly as possible while still obtaining justice for victims” by working with community partners and making sure her staff and law enforcement officers remain informed on current legislation and case law.
“It is important that the citizens of Iredell and Alexander counties know that they will be represented by their District Attorney with professionalism and integrity and that I will always work to promote justice and safety in our community,” she said.