Assistant County Attorney David Walker was selected as the best arson prosecutor in the state by the International Association of Arson Investigators.

Saturday, April 06, 2002

Assistant County Attorney David Walker was selected as the best arson prosecutor in the state by the International Association of Arson Investigators.

The annual award is given to honor a prosecutor who has actively tackled arson crimes.

Walker, who received the award before a crowd of 400 fire investigators gathered at a meeting held in St. Cloud last month, has handled seven arson charges since February 2000, and is currently prosecuting the Woodgrains Furniture arson case.

&uot;Arson cases are difficult and time consuming,&uot; said Walker. &uot;But I enjoy dealing with them, applying various forensic science methods.&uot;

&uot;Arsons are extraordinary crimes since they are usually calculated carefully,&uot; Walker said. &uot;Most of the cases, an arsonist plans beforehand and prepares an alibi, knowing that he [or she] would end up being interviewed by the police.&uot;

Having an eyewitness is rare, so is direct evidence. A large part of the investigation depends on putting together fragments of circumstances to establish proofs for motive, means and opportunity.

Cutting-age technologies of forensic science are also the key to establish a case. In April 2000, Walker attended a week long seminar introducing the most recent developments in fire investigation in Columbia, S.C., organized by the National District Attorneys Association.

&uot;I like approaching the case analytically to examine what happened,&uot; Walker said. &uot;A logical explanation leads to a rational judgment, and is serving the interests of justice.&uot;

Walker graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1988. He started his career at the County Attorney’s Office in 1992, after retiring from a prosecution attorney position in the U.S. Army’s Judge Advocate General Office. Walker said that he loves being a prosecutor who makes decisions solely based upon justice, free from any other interests.

IAAI consists of approximately 9,000 fire investigation professionals from around the world. The organization provides information and training programs regarding arson investigation techniques to investigators, and tries to raise public awareness about arson in an attempt to suppress the crime.