Houghton County has two new assistant prosecuting attorneys
Houghton County’s new prosecuting attorney made a promise when he started work in December. He said that hiring assistant prosecutors to help handle the workload would be his first priority. And he’s done it, in record time.
Berger
Dan Helmer announced on Friday that he has hired two assistant prosecuting attorneys. Hilary Baker will be the chief assistant prosecuting attorney, and Alex Berger will be an assistant prosecuting attorney.
Both positions will start on February 5, 2024.
“I am excited to have Hilary and Alex join the team here to better serve the citizens of Houghton County,” said Helmer. “As I stated when I was sworn in, my top priority was filling these vacancies and ensuring that our community has the dedicated public servants that it deserves.”
Helmer
Before Helmer took the lead in the county prosecutor’s office, assistant prosecuting attorney positions had remained vacant, despite efforts to fill them. The level of pay and remoteness of Houghton County was blamed for the difficulty finding qualified assistant prosecuting attorneys who were willing to come and wanted to stay.
Baker is a graduate of Calvin University and Thomas M. Cooley Law School. She is a career prosecutor with 10 years of experience fighting for the most vulnerable victims. She specializes in cases involving juveniles, including abuse, neglect, and delinquency, as well as child abuse, crimes against children, and cases involving sexual assault. She has worked as an assistant prosecuting attorney in Kent and Muskegon counties downstate.
Berger currently manages his own criminal defense firm, Berger Law, out of Marquette. Following his graduation from Indiana University, Berger was a public defender in Wyoming before being elected Weston County Prosecutor there in 2018. Berger has extensive criminal law experience, protecting both the rights of the accused and victims of crime.
He will be the lead prosecutor for all matters before the 97th District Court and will assist with other criminal cases.
“Both appointees are extremely well qualified and respected in the legal community,” says Helmer. “They will bring years of experience that only complement the assets we already have. I look forward to working with them both and continuing to rebuild this office and make it the best in the state.”