Scott County prosecutor to be deployed a second time

BENTON, Mo. — Three years after returning from a deployment to Afghanistan, Scott County’s prosecuting attorney will leave for another tour of duty overseas at the end of this month.

Paul R. Boyd, who has been the county’s prosecutor since 2003 and before was an assistant prosecutor since 1996, begins active duty in the U.S. Army on Friday.

Boyd has served in the Missouri National Guard since November 2000, holding the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Since Nov. 1, Boyd has served as deputy staff judge advocate for the 35th Infantry Division headquartered in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, with his unit in Lexington. Previously, he worked with the Judge Advocate’s staff at Whiteman Air Force Air Base, Jefferson Barracks, Kansas City and Lexington.

Boyd also was command judge advocate with the 1-135th ARB, serving in Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan, with the 10th Mountain Combat Aviation Brigade out of Bagram, Afghanistan.

There are 18 divisions in the Army; eight of those are in the National Guard, and the 35th Infantry Division is one of those eight, Boyd said.

“The 35th Infantry Division has not been deployed since World War II, so this will be the first deployment of the division headquarters since 1944,” Boyd said, adding Harry Truman served with the 35th Infantry Division during World War I.

Also, this deployment coincides with 100th anniversary of the 35th Infantry Division, which organized in August 1917 at Camp Doniphan in Oklahoma, and the 100th anniversary of the World War I Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri.

During the deployment, the 35th Infantry Division will have soldiers in two operations, Boyd said. The first is Operation Spartan Shield, which is focused in the Kuwait area and the Levant region that includes Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iraq and Iran.

The second is Operation Inherent Resolve, which will focus on Jordan.

“There will be 9,000 to 12,000 soldiers under the direction of the 35th Infantry Division,” Boyd said. “We will have troop units coming in and out with us. We’re a support division to the 1st Armored Division that’s in Iraq.”

There will be a staff of 23 judge advocate generals, or JAGs, officers and paralegals enlisted, Boyd said.

“We’ll be doing a full range of legal work for the division and for the brigades under us,” Boyd said.

Boyd and his unit will deploy to Fort Hood, Texas, to begin pretraining April 30. They will depart at the end of June and are expected to return in March.

“This will be my second deployment — my wife’s fourth,” Boyd said, adding his son has deployed twice. “I want to do my job, but I don’t like having to go back so fast. I appreciate the people in Scott County supporting me.”

While the deployment is sooner than Boyd preferred, he will do his best.

“I don’t run from a fight, and I would rather fight them over there than fight them over here if that’s what we have to do,” Boyd said. “As Judge (David) Dolan said: ‘We did this before. We can do this again.’”

And Boyd has a plan in place.

“You can’t be a good army officer without knowing how to put systems in place,” Boyd said. “You have to marshal your assets and get good people. I have a full staff in place to handle the criminal court system until I get back.”

Boyd’s staff includes three assistant prosecuting attorneys, an investigator, five administrative assistants and two victim advocates.

In addition, Heath Robins, who is the Bollinger County prosecuting attorney, will serve as a part-time prosecutor of Scott County as an administrator, Boyd said.

Boyd also has lawyers Morley Swingle and Russ Oliver secured for a couple other cases in progress.

“Someone on my staff will still be with them just like they are with me when I’m here,” Boyd said.