Riverside County DA Honors Employees

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA - The Riverside County District Attorney's Office announced the recipients of its annual PRIDE awards Saturday, which honor outstanding work done by prosecutors and staff.

The 33rd annual PRIDE awards, or Program Rewarding Incentive of District Attorney Employees, were presented Friday at a banquet held at the Miramonte Indian Wells Resort & Spa in Indian Wells.

The countywide award for Prosecutor of the Year was presented to both Deputy District Attorneys Jennifer Garcia and Jon Brandon.

In October, Garcia prosecuted a Menifee man for murdering his girlfriend and setting her home on fire. That defendant was found guilty and received a sentence of 75 years to life in prison.

Brandon is currently one of two prosecutors working on a high-profile case involving two men who are accused of murdering three people in Pinyon Pines.

Other awards presented include:

• Appellate Prosecutor of the Year, Michael Romney
• Crime Prevention Prosecutor of the Year, Amir Alavi
• Filing Prosecutor of the Year, Cheryl Singerton
• Juvenile Prosecutor of the Year, Sarah Crowley
• New Career Prosecutor of the Year, Kaitlyn Lasater
• Paralegal of the Year, Linda Watkins
• Special Prosecutions Section Award of the Year, Michael Gavin and Doug Doyle
• Investigator of the Year, Ryan Bodmer
• Technician of the Year, Berenice Mausolf
• Advocate of the Year, Wendy Bankston
• Clerical Support of the Year, Anna Mendiola
• Administration Employee of the Year, Ginika Ezinwa

— By City News Service / Patch file photo by Renee Schiavone