PHOENIX — On June 24, 2021, at its annual summer conference, APAAC (The Arizona Prosecuting Attorney Advisory Council) awarded Garet Kartchner, of the Graham County Attorney’s Office, the Rising Star award.
Kartchner was selected as the single recipient of the award for 2021 by the APAAC Executive Council, and he was nominated for his commitment to the prosecution of drug cases. Focusing specifically on fentanyl sales cases, Kartchner has already established himself as a gifted attorney.
Kartchner was nominated for the Rising Star award by Graham County Attorney L. Scott Bennett.
“We are extremely lucky to have Garet and he truly deserved to be the winner. He was up against every young prosecutor in the State, and the fact that he was the given the award shows how gifted he is,” Bennett said. “Despite being relatively new to the practice of law, he does not allow anyone to push him around and he has my trust as a prosecutor. It is always nice when someone as smart and skilled as Garet is part of the team.”
Kartchner, who has worked for the Graham County Attorney’s Office for slightly more than 18 months, prosecutes felony and misdemeanor cases and is currently designated as the drug crimes prosecutor for the office.
Annually, APAAC recognizes individual prosecutors for their commitment, diligence and success in the various areas of prosecution. Each of the 15 Arizona county attorneys, as well as the Attorney General’s Office and several city prosecution offices, had the opportunity to nominate a candidate for this award. The Rising Star award recognizes exceptional contributions in the area of prosecution by a younger attorney just beginning his career as an attorney.
APAAC was created by the Arizona Legislature in 1977. Although APAAC provides a variety of services to prosecutors, the primary mission of APAAC is to coordinate and provide training and education to prosecutors throughout Arizona. APAAC currently serves approximately 885 full-time state, county, and municipal prosecutors.
