FRESNO COUNTY – County law enforcement officials emphasized the need for statewide changes to the criminal justice system after one of their own was stabbed in Fresno’s Courthouse Park.
At a press conference Aug. 21, Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp said the incident on Thursday afternoon demonstrated how criminal justice reforms from the state legislature have resulted in there being no accountability for violent people.
“Today is a really dark day for Fresno County,” Smittcamp said. “It’s a really difficult day for Fresno County law enforcement, and this day is an example of the failures of the state of California … because it shouldn’t take the stabbing of a prosecutor for people to take notice that there is no accountability and no responsibility to violent criminals in our communities.”
Stabbing incident
On Aug. 20, a senior deputy district attorney for Fresno County was stabbed while talking with a group of colleagues in Courthouse Park. The prosecutor was immediately transported to Community Regional Medical Center and was conscious, breathing and talking during transport, FSO said.
Smittcamp said at the press conference that no vital organs were involved in the attack and the prosecutor, by then already released from the hospital and recovering at home, is going to make a full recovery.
According to a press release from the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, dispatchers received a report of the stabbing at 1:13 p.m. and deputies assigned to work at the Fresno County Courthouse immediately responded to tend to the victim and search for the suspect.
The press release said deputies contacted the suspect, identified as Dustin Crawford, 42, near the intersection of Fresno Street and Van Ness Boulevard at 1:16 p.m. Deputies deployed a taser in order to take Crawford into custody and recovered a weapon from him.
Smittcamp extended her thanks to the sheriff’s office and the Fresno Police Department, as well as the EMTs and medical staff at CRMC who cared for the prosecutor.
The case is being investigated by the Multi-Agency Gang Enforcement Consortium (MAGEC) and has been turned over to the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
Protecting law enforcement
Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni said law enforcement officials believe this was a targeted incident, as the prosecutor had worked on a case involving the suspect in 2016. Fresno Police Chief Mindy Casto also assured the public at the press conference that the stabbing was not a random attack and Courthouse Park is safe.
“Statistically speaking, downtown Fresno is safer than many areas of the city,” Casto said. “There is no crime increase — there is actually a small decrease this year from last year. Overall in our city, crime is down year over year on violent crime.”
Still, both Casto and Zanoni said non-fatal assaults on law enforcement officers have increased across the nation in recent years and the Fresno area has seen this as well.
“What we have to do is find ways to protect them, whether it be changing laws in Sacramento, holding people accountable and ensuring that people get the proper help they need before they are released back out into our streets,” Zanoni said.
Zanoni said FSO is conducting additional patrol checks in Courthouse Park with uniformed personnel and looking into ways to help protect individuals who work in the area.
In June, the Fresno County Board of Supervisors approved changes to a county ordinance that would allow additional county staff to carry concealed weapons within county facilities. Zanoni said the city and county of Fresno may look at extending this to city attorneys, district attorneys, public defenders and other individuals.
Mental health courts
Zanoni and Smittcamp also said the stabbing incident specifically demonstrates the need for more teeth in the law as it relates to mental health diversion in court cases.
The preliminary investigation into the incident revealed that the suspect previously faced charges for violent crimes, including attempted murder and attacks against peace officers. Smittcamp said the suspect’s case in 2016 was heard in the mental health court and he was granted time credits for mental health treatment, allowing him to serve a shorter sentence on a guilty plea.
Smittcamp said there needs to be more clear steps and requirements for mental health treatment and diversion because otherwise violent offenders face limited accountability in a system meant for people with serious mental illnesses.
“Mr. Crawford is a perfect example of a criminal, of a violent man who, yes, maybe has some mental health issues, but refuses to do the right thing and get himself the right help, and no one’s making him accountable, and so he continues, and the cycle continues, and the victims keep adding up,” Smittcamp said.
