Candidates for Scott County prosecuting attorney share views at candidate forum

The two candidates for Scott County prosecuting attorney made their case Thursday at a candidate meet and greet hosted by the Scott City Area Chamber of Commerce.

Amanda Oesch

Donald Cobb and incumbent Amanda Oesch answered questions about themselves, their skill set, what problems face Scott County economically and how they would use the office to help the county's residents.

The first two questions asked the candidates to tell the audience about themselves and what qualifies them for the position.

Oesch cited her experience as a prosecutor, including four years as the county prosecutor and five years as an assistant prosecutor in the office. Oesch was also appointed by the governor to fill a vacant prosecutor post in Carter County, Missouri.

"At that time, I knew prosecutor was definitely where my heart is, definitely my passion," Oesch said of being appointed to the Carter County post.

She spoke about passion frequently, saying she cares deeply about each case and wants to get justice for victims. She said she's had defense attorneys tell her she's too passionate.

Her passion is why she decided to run for office in 2018, she said. She won by a little more than 2,700 votes.

Since then, Oesch said she has worked to clear the backlog of cases that was present in the office. When she arrived to the position in January 2019, there were 15 pending homicide cases, and she's disposed of 10, she said.

Cobb said his law enforcement experience makes him prepared for the position. Cobb has more than 20 years' experience managing law enforcement agencies. He was the chief of police in Scott City from 2002 to 2008 and was also chief of Chaffee (Missouri) Police Department and an officer in Sikeston, Missouri. Cobb also served in the Army's 101st Airborne Division and the reserves.

Cobb is a partner of a private practice -- Moss & Cobb, Attorneys At Law -- in Cape Girardeau.

"I'm a candidate that has the ability to draw upon experience from the time the police actually get the call that something is wrong, to the time the offender is actually punished in court," Cobb said.

Cobb summed up his candidacy by using the idiom that "electricians make the best electrical engineer." Cobb said that's true, that the same goes for law enforcement officers making the best prosecutors.

The final question of the evening was about the economic issues facing the county and how they could use the office to help in that area.

Both Oesch and Cobb cited drug and property crimes as an economic issue which their office is poised to help fix. The crimes cause destruction and make the community less safe, the time spent on prosecution, specifically of repeat offenders, costs the taxpayers money.

Cobb said he wanted to break the us-versus-them mentality and break the cycle of addiction using treatment programs. The former law enforcement officer said it may not be a popular sentiment, but that he met a lot of nice people while working undercover doing drug buys.

He said that he's "not soft on crime" but that sometimes people need programs not prison. He did clarify that crimes against another person need to be strictly punished, but for crimes against the state, treatment should be considered.

Oesch said the best way to help economic problems in the community is to make the community itself safer in order to attract more business. Oesch said the country and Scott County have a mental health problem contributing to crime.

Oesch said a lot of repeat offenders suffer from mental health issues that jail time doesn't fix. She cited the county's drug court, which uses addiction treatment and rehabilitation rather than prison time as an effective method for breaking the cycle of addiction and aiding mental health.

She agreed with Cobb that punishment can be necessary. She said those committing repeat offenses, who have squandered program opportunities, should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.