Primus praises his staff during hard times
By Terry Murry on Friday, June 28th, 2024 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
UMATILLA COUNTY – Larger cities in Oregon are facing a severe shortage of public defense attorneys. The reverse is true in rural areas of the state. The Umatilla County District Attorneys Office is severely short staffed.
The office charged with prosecuting those accused of crimes has four to five vacancies in a 10-attorney office. DA Dan Primus said that shortage concerns him deeply because he chose to come back to the area where he grew up to represent victims of crime, and there’s much he can’t do because of those staffing shortages.
“There’s only so much you can do and that’s the hard part for me,” he said. “But I will tell you that the staffing that I do have within the office is special.”
Primus said he fears reaching a point where he’s burning out the employees he does have and he’s proud how they all work as a team. He’s coached his children in sports for years and he said learning to be a part of a team is one of the most important lessons sports has to teach.
