This new Tri-Cities prosecutor partnership promises justice for abused children
Helping the children and families navigate a daunting court process is one of the most rewarding parts of Laurel Holland’s job.
She’s helped them as a deputy prosecutor, and as a U.S. Attorney. Now she will be able to do it as both.
Benton County Prosecutor Andy Miller and the U.S. Attorney for Eastern Washington Vanessa Waldref announced that Holland will step into a joint role bridging the gap between state and federal agencies when pursuing people who sexually abuse children.
Holland has been appointed as a special assistant United State Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, which will allow her to handle both federal and state crimes.
“These victims have already been victimized in a very unique and horrific way,” Holland told the Tri-City Herald. “Having a relationship with that victim and that victim’s family is so crucial. ... The idea that the same prosecutor could handle that case through both state and federal prosecution is a very unique benefit to people in this community.”
The Benton County deputy prosecutor has experience in state and federal courts. She spent six years with Benton County before becoming a federal prosecutor in 2015. Then she returned to working for Benton county in 2019.
Holland said giving families a sense of the legal process is one of the most important things she can give to victims and their families.
“The process can be terrifying,” she said. “You know that something awful has happened to your child and you don’t know what they’re going to have to go through or what the legal process looks like for them in that moment or the long term, and so I very much look forward to being the person that can give them that information and hopefully that peace of mind very early on int he process.”
Holland’s position is specifically aimed at prosecuting child exploitation cases.
While crimes like molestation and child rape are prosecuted in county courtrooms, distributing child pornography can be prosecuted federally.
It’s a partnership that Miller said will likely mean longer sentences for people who exploit children.
Ease of communication
It is becoming more common for police to find that someone who has sexually abused a child has also filmed the abuse of taken photos, Holland said.
“Circumstances in these cases do change very rapidly, and it’s to everyone’s benefit to be able to seek the proper venue at the earliest possible time for a successful case, investigation and prosecution,” Holland said.
Richland has become a central location for child sex crime investigations.
It is the home of the Southeast region’s Internet Crimes against Children Task Force (ICAC), which includes members of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.
Her new position will build on a strong foundation of cooperation between the county and federal prosecutors and local law enforcement, Holland said.
“The number of cases prosecuted from our Richland office has risen over the past several years and we expect this to continue,” Waldref said.
“The Tri-Cities area is the second largest metropolitan center in the Inland Northwest and will will continue to prosecute the area’s most dangerous criminals to the fullest extent,” she said.
Waldref wanted to expand the federal presence in the Tri-Cities, and having Holland available to be able to prosecute both federal and state cases will help to serve as a bridge between the agencies.
“When we have that relationship right here in Benton County and in the Federal Courthouse here in Richland, it means more cases here are going to be evaluated early,” Waldref said.
She said she is happy to have Holland back to prosecuting cases in federal courts. It was something she wanted after Waldref was named the region’s U.S. Attorney in October.
“She is an incredible prosecutor and an amazing advocate for children,” Waldref said.