The Utah County Attorney’s Office has had a tough week.

Earlier this week, the Utah County Attorney’s Office was forced to admit that they were pursuing the wrong defendants in the murder of Kay Mortensen.  Unfortunately, the defendant’s who had been wrongfully accused spent five months in jail and had their reputations smeared.

Today, the Court of Appeals had this to say about Sherry Ragan, another attorney in the Utah County Attorney’s Office.

“We do, however, recognize that the prosecutor committed several discovery, and ethical violations, and we are compelled to again address the prosecutor’s serious misconduct.”  The Court of Appeals went on to criticize Ms. Ragan for hiding exculpatory evidence, among other things.

I wasn’t involved in either case so it’s hard for me to comment.  I did have a case several years ago in which DCFS hid evidence that tended to show that my client was innocent.  When Sherry Ragan got involved in the case, she immediately disclosed the evidence.  Based on my personal experience, Ms. Ragan does not have a habit of hiding evidence.

Even so, these two cases in the same week should cause all of us concern.  The Utah County Attorney’s Office is responsible for effecting justice in this county.  It’s disturbing to see them make two serious mistakes in the same week.

What’s even more disturbing is that these are two serious mistakes that have come to light.  How many more are lurking in the shadows?