Community Safety
The Community Safety Unit is responsible for prosecuting cases related to safety of the community, such as driving while intoxicated, property offenses, leaving the scene of an accident, and careless and imprudent driving. The Community Safety Unit also works with the Springfield Police Department PAR (Police Area Representative) to help solve long-term neighborhood problems. The Community Safety Unit Attorneys are:
Zack graduated Summa Cum Laude in the Honors College from Southwest Missouri State University (now Missouri State University), double majoring in Criminology and Sociology. He received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law in May 2008. Zack joined the Warrant Unit in the Greene County Prosecutor's Office in November of 2012, reviewing felony and misdemeanor cases submitted by law enforcement, preparing investigative subpoenas, and reviewing search warrant applications. In 2013, he moved to the General Crimes Unit where he focused on prosecuting driving while intoxicated offenses, minors in possession of alcohol, domestic violence, and Missouri Department of Revenue administrative license refusal hearings. In 2015, Zack was assigned to represent the Prosecutor’s Office in the Greene County Treatment Courts. Also in 2015, Zack was promoted to Senior Assistant in the Major Crimes Unit and assigned to handle a drug distribution, manufacturing, and trafficking caseload. Zack oversaw the office’s Criminal Activity Forfeiture Act cases, and the office’s United States Department of Justice Equitable Sharing Agreement. In January 2022, he was promoted to 1st Assistant Prosecuting Attorney and has led the General Crimes Unit, Restorative Justice Unit, and now the Community Safety Unit. Zack is a licensed Missouri Department of Public Safety Specialist Instructor and teaches at the Springfield Police Academy.
Bethany joined the Greene County Prosecutor's Office in February 2023. She received her Bachelor's from Missouri Baptist University in Criminal Justice. Bethany graduated from the University of Missouri's School of Law in 2019.
John joined the Greene County Prosecutor’s Office in March of 2020. He received his B.A. in U.S. History from the University of California Riverside in 2001. John received his juris doctorate from the Louisiana State University, Paul M. Hebert Law Center in 2017.
John currently serves as Assistant Prosecuting Attorney in the Community Safety Unit of the Greene County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office in Springfield, MO. He previously served as Assistant Prosecuting Attorney in Christian County, Missouri from November 2018 until March of 2020. He also served as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney in the Child Support Enforcement Unit from March of 2020 to November of 2022. John is a native of Kansas City, MO but spent most of his adult life in the State of California.
Patrick joined the Green County Prosecutor’s Office in November of 2022. He received a B.A. in Legal Studies and a M.S. in Acquisition and Procurement from Webster University while on both Honor Roll and the Dean’s List. Patrick received his juris doctorate from University of Missouri Kansas City School of Law. Prior to Law School Patrick served in the United States Marine Corps and worked for the Department of Defense. During Law School Patrick interned for the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office (Kansas City), and the Department of Veteran Affairs.
Rachel joined the Greene County Prosecutor's Office in August of 2021. She graduated cum laude from St. Lawrence University in 2018 with a major in psychology and minors in mathematics and education. She then attended the University of Missouri School of Law and graduated with her Juris Doctorate in 2021. During law school, Rachel worked at Harper, Evans, Wade, and Netemeyer in Columbia, Missouri, and was on the editorial board of the Missouri Law Review.
Ted joined the Greene County Prosecutor’s Office in November of 2022. He graduated from the University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Law in May of 2021 and received his B.S. in Business Administration from Montana State University in 2012. Prior to law school, Ted worked for the Montana State Auditor’s Office as a Financial Examiner and the Montana Army National Guard as an Armor Officer. During law school, Ted interned for the Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance and the Missouri Attorney General’s Office and was a member of the UMKC law review.
Hannah joined the Greene County Prosecutor's Office in August of 2023. She graduated cum laude from Southeast Missouri State University in 2020 with a major in Criminal Justice and a minor in Mass Communication. She then attended the University of Missouri School of Law and graduated with her Juris Doctorate in 2023. During law school, Hannah served as an intern at the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Missouri in Cape Girardeau and as a Rule 13 intern at the Cole County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. She also worked at Harper, Evans, Wade, and Netemeyer in Columbia, Missouri and was a member of the Missouri Law Review as well as an associate editor of the blog.
Nicole joined the Greene County Prosecutor’s Officer in August of 2023. She graduated summa cum laude from Millikin University in Decatur, IL with a major in English Writing, Composition, and Rhetoric with a minor in Philosophy of Law. She then attended Saint Louis University School of Law and graduated with her Juris Doctorate in 2023. During law school, Nicole interned with the Missouri State Public Defender’s Office and participated in SLU’s Criminal Defense Clinic. She also served as a research assistant for one of SLU’s professors, Chad Flanders, and worked as a teacher’s assistant for SLU’s Moot Court classes.