The newly appointed District Attorney, Adam Panter, was sworn into office Monday and immediately went to work.
Panter said he received a phone call Wednesday, Oct. 19, letting him know he would be appointed, and then Friday, the appointment was made official.
Panter began his career in 2008 in the Dist. 23 DA office, and in 2016 he was named the first assistant. He left in 2018 after losing the election to Allan Grubb.
But he didn’t leave the career path he had chosen. He moved to the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s office, where he has been for the last four years.
Panter said, “Things are a little different in the office. The office kind of looks the same, except nobody’s where they used to be. It feels familiar but weird at the same time.”
But Panter was discussing a possible return to the Dist months ago. 23 District Attorney’s office. David Hammer won the DA race in June, but five days later, he passed away.
“It’s bittersweet,” said Panter. He said he and David Hammer were “communicating and texting each other the day before he (Hammer) passed. We were planning on meeting that week to discuss potentially coming back and working for him, helping get this place turned around.”
Panter said he and Hammer became good friends when working together at the DAs office. He said the two stayed in contact after leaving the office and even had discussions about Hammer running for office.
“I was fully supportive of his election,” said Panter. “As long as a good person who is well qualified runs for that office, I feel okay with it.”
Panter said Hammer’s parents, Ann and Ronnie Jones, were some of the first people to reach out to him after Hammer’s passing to see if he was interested in filling the office.
“It is hard,” Panter said. “I would have been just as happy helping David as running the office. So, it’s a little bittersweet.”
Panter has been appointed to fill the unexpired term of Allan Grubb, who recently resigned. The unexpired term ends Jan. 1, 2023. The Countywide & Sun reached out to multiple people to find out what happens in January when Hammer would have been sworn in. The best answer we have received from two different sources is that it is two separate appointments— one appointment for the unexpired term and one appointment for what would have been Hammer’s term.
The Countywide & Sun also reached out to Governor Keven Stitt’s office to see if there was any information it could share on the upcoming vacancy but had not heard back before printing this publication.
Panter said he thinks it may be an issue of whether the appointment can be made before the start of the term. “Hopefully, the plan is for me to con-tinue, but that’s outside my hands. Which is why we’re just going to focus on what we have here right now.”
He said, “This is hearsay, but I’m told there’s a lot of cases that haven’t been filed or reviewed. So, one of the things I am in the process of doing is reaching out to all the law enforcement agencies, asking them to provide us a list of reports and cases they believe haven’t been looked at or reviewed yet.”
He also said he would like them to tell him if there are some they think are of higher importance. “We’re going to start working on those files.”
Sheriff Mike Booth said, “Moments after he [Panter] was sworn in this morning, he came over to talk about where to start and what he needs. We even talked to him about looking at some of the cases that had been dismissed that we thought were very important.”
Booth said, “[We] worked with Adam when he was the first assistant. He was involved in a lot of things we did, including training for the office. He was always available. We felt comfortable being able to approach Adam and talk to him. I’m glad he’s our DA. I think he will restore faith in our justice system in Pottawatomie and Lincoln County.”
Panter said law enforcement has been behind him 100 percent. “It’s nice having them in my corner because we have that working relationship.
Tecumseh Police Chief JR Kidney said, “I believe Adam will be the best for the job. I’m very happy to see that Gov. Stitt appointed him, and I’m looking forward to working with him and seeing what he can do to better both counties. I definitely feel like it’s a step in the right direction. I’m looking forward to watching Adam working, basically getting the two counties put back into shape.”
Shawnee Police Chief Mason Wilson said, “I look forward to working with District Attorney Panter. I am glad to see us all moving forward to protect and serve the citizens.”
As for the District Attorney’s Office leading illegal grow house busts, Panter said he would leave that to law enforcement. “I’m going to let law enforcement do their job, and I’m going to do mine,” said Panter.
He said, “I have a good relationship with OSBI. They have a task force assigned to illegal grows. So, I’m going to defer to them.”
“ Unfortunately,” Panter said, “I know, through my experience in Oklahoma County, that a lot of Chinese or Asians have bought a lot of property and are operating illegal grows that are transporting black market marijuana out of state. Mainly to Chicago.”
He continued, “Marijuana is a concern, of course, but my concern is that what they are also bringing in is a lot of other contraband like fentanyl, which has been a huge issue, and illegal firearms. A lot of these people are also involved in human trafficking networks and prostitution networks.
But right now, Panter said he wants to get the office fully staffed. “We’re extremely short staffed compared to what it was even a few years ago; I would say, maybe 50 percent or less than what it was, but that requires getting our budget in order and applying for and getting grant funding which has been lost over the years. And getting more prosecutors in here that are experienced trial lawyers. I think once we get fully staffed and good attorneys in here, this place can start running smoothly.”
A new First Assistant District Attorney moved from Oklahoma County to Dist. 23 with Panter. Adam Kallsnick said he and Panter worked together in Oklahoma County and “kind of hit it off.” The two began their law careers about the same time.
He said, “We worked right next to each other, constantly bouncing stuff off each other. We’ve been doing this for about four years. So, when this opportunity came along, and he asked me, I had to say yes.”
Panter said he plans to provide some stability in the DA’s office and get the budgets in order. He said, “I just want to focus on restoring a good working relationship with law enforcement, with community members, and to start making this office be a victim oriented prosecution office.”
