County Attorney Al Castillo, who said he spent 15 enjoyable years as a county deputy prosecuting attorney, has on his staff three former deputy prosecutors, including two who have left during current County Prosecutor Shaylene Iseri-Carvalho’s first year — Justin
County Attorney Al Castillo, who said he spent 15 enjoyable years as a county deputy prosecuting attorney, has on his staff three former deputy prosecutors, including two who have left during current County Prosecutor Shaylene Iseri-Carvalho’s first year — Justin Kollar and Mauna Kea Trask.
Castillo said Friday that he did not solicit any of Iseri-Carvalho’s former deputies. If attorneys are interested in working for the County Attorney’s Office, there are positions open and “they fit,” then they’ll be considered, he said.
Kollar is assigned to the Kaua‘i Police Department, and Trask is among a number of deputy county attorneys who are assigned to many different areas, Castillo said.
Trask is being groomed to lead the department’s litigation team, Castillo said. “From day one, we’ve been trying to address the issue of outside special counsel. Now that we have litigators here, we’re trying to assemble a litigation team.”
Castillo wrote in an e-mail later Friday that after facing his two new deputies in jury trials when he was still in private practice, he observed that “these young lawyers would do much better with proper guidance.”
“I am thankful and much appreciative that they want to work for me,” Castillo wrote. “I have a chance to mentor them … and most of all provide them with a working environment that will allow them to breathe and grow.
“They share the same commitment that I have. … That is to do the best we can for the island of Kaua‘i,” he wrote. “I have been blessed with a great staff and a solid bunch of legal minds and good people.”
Kaua‘i Police Chief Darryl Perry, apparently choosing his words carefully because of the need to retain an amicable working relationship and partnership with prosecutors, said he is concerned about the turnover.
“I would not be telling the truth if I did not express concern over the number of employees who recently left their positions for various personal reasons,” Perry said.
“I am hopeful that despite the current situation, we can collaboratively work together through this anomaly. I am also aware that (the) prosecutor is doing whatever she can to continue to provide the highest level of service to the people of Kaua‘i,” the chief said.
“Prosecuting deputy attorneys and support staff of the OPA who left, and who I have had the pleasure to have known and worked with over the past two years, leave with a great deal of experience and expertise that takes many years of hard work to hone and develop,” Perry said. “It is sad that the citizens of Kaua‘i will not be the beneficiaries of their labor.”
Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. in a statement expressed “full faith” in Iseri-Carvalho’s ability to get back to full staffing while continuing to ensure the critical work of her office gets done.
“Turnover is difficult in any organization. As managers, it’s part of our responsibility to deal with that,” he said. “I have full faith in the prosecuting attorney that she will ensure the work gets done until the office is fully staffed once again.
“We were in a similar situation earlier this year (January and February) with the County Attorney’s Office — having lost several experienced attorneys and those that remained for the most part were relatively new,” Carvalho said.
“It was a credit to the individuals involved that they did the best they could with what they had to work with and the business of the county moved forward until the office could return to full staffing.”
