November 08, 2009
What's Inside:
A prosecutor for ‘the worst thing’
Pam Blevins follows unanticipated career path
Pam Blevins follows unanticipated career path
Photo by August Kryger / St. Joseph News-Press / Purchase this photo
Pam Blevins, assistant Buchanan County prosecuting attorney, handles cases involving child-sex crimes.
The defendant is on the witness stand, drawing on a map to show where police arrested him. He tries to show that he wasn’t trying to meet the 13-year-old girl from the Internet — that it was a misunderstanding.
Prosecutor Pam Blevins objects to showing the drawing to the jury.
The lawyers approach the judge’s bench to argue the objection. The defense lawyer is holding the drawing at his side. The drawing faces the jury, perhaps absentmindedly.
Ms. Blevins, in heels, is several inches taller than the defense lawyer. She walks around to the lawyer’s side.
She snatches the drawing from his hand.
She loses the objection, and the jury gets to see the drawing. Later, the jury convicts the man of enticement and attempted statutory sodomy.
***
Ms. Blevins always wanted to be a lawyer, but not this kind of lawyer. For five years, she has handled child-sex crimes for the Buchanan County prosecutor’s office.
Business law, that’s what she wanted. She got her undergraduate degree in finance, then she worked to get her finances straight.
She worked construction — as a flag person on a road crew — for three seasons to save money for law school.
She’s tall, blonde and competitive. She ran track and played basketball and softball during high school in Unionville, Mo., and her 400-meter relay team finished third at state one year. She possesses a glare that many married men will know as “the look.”
In short, she’s the type of person you want on your team. You do not want to be standing in her way.
“Emotions run high in these cases because these children have been hurt,” Ms. Blevins said. “I’m making a child tell the worst thing that ever happened to them in front of the person that did it.”
After law school at the University of Missouri, she clerked for a year in state appeals courts. She came here in 1997, hoping to gain a few years of trial experience.
She prosecuted child-support cases, then a mix of cases, then drug cases. She left for a year to prosecute child-sex cases in Platte County, but returned to Buchanan County in late 2003, where she handles sex crimes almost exclusively.
“I never wanted to do criminal law because I didn’t want to have to worry about who picked my kids up from school,” Ms. Blevins said. “Then I got here for trial experience, and I just fell into it. I love it.”
***
The defendant is on trial for molesting his own children. His 4-year-old daughter will testify next.
When the girl sees her father, she crawls into the fetal position behind Ms. Blevins. Ms. Blevins takes her out, calms her down and prepares her to re-enter.
Ms. Blevins tells the girl about going through the special magic tunnel.
The tunnel is the hallway from the judge’s chamber to the courtroom, so the girl can get to the witness stand without having to walk directly past her father. The girl opens the door and sees him. She turns back into the hallway, and she runs.
There will be no magic. She will not testify.
As a result, the jury also isn’t allowed to see her video interview with a case worker. But other witnesses testify. The jury convicts.
***
Ms. Blevins doesn’t win every case. She also doesn’t keep count.
“If I go to trial, I remember all of them because I’ve bonded so much with the kids,” Ms. Blevins said. “But I think more about the ones I’ve lost.”
Her boss, Buchanan County Prosecutor Dwight Scroggins, has said these are the most difficult cases to win. Getting children to testify is difficult. Getting children to testify in a way that makes sense to adults is difficult. Proving something that may have happened long ago is difficult.
“I think that society still wants to believe that it doesn’t happen,” Ms. Blevins said. “They hold the child to such high standards.”
The work is intense. She’s aware of possible burnout.
“Believe me, some days I wonder, ‘What were you thinking, Pam?’” she said. “I feel like I make a difference.”
The sex offenders won’t stop, she said.
“I think that they cannot be rehabilitated,” Ms. Blevins said. “All the studies show that they cannot. That worries me.”
She allows some distinction between crimes against actual children and crimes on the Internet or with pornography. Those are “differing degrees of illness.” The illness is a desire to have sex with children.
A person who gets away with an act will likely grow bolder, Ms. Blevins said.
“They get smarter, and the kids don’t disclose. Only 3 percent of kids disclose,” she said. “You might not get a second chance at them.”
***
A man is being sentenced for failing to register as a sex offender. It’s a relatively minor case, and Ms. Blevins rehashes the man’s original crime as she argues for strict probation conditions.
An older woman sits in the back row of the courtroom. She’s waiting for a different case on the docket — for the sentencing of the man convicted of molesting his own children, the woman’s grandchildren.
The woman says, to no one in particular, “Get ’em, Pam.”
Joe Blumberg can be reached at joeblumberg@npgco.com.
This story has 14 comments. Click here to join in on the discussion.
Story Tools
Hyperlink Legend
E-mail story
Print friendly version
iPod friendly version
Today's Top Headlines
Abuse support programs threatened
Study: U.S. sliding in math, science
House passes health care bill
Enthusiasts get first shot at Geiger's new range
InterServ marks a century of changing lives
JOB SEARCH
RECENTLY DISCUSSED
A resounding yes on school levy
(183 comments)
Same sex marriage loses in Maine
(70 comments)
Your letters, Nov. 7, 2009
(13 comments)
Survey: Many above poverty hurting
(35 comments)
More Popular Discussions
(183 comments)
Same sex marriage loses in Maine
(70 comments)
Your letters, Nov. 7, 2009
(13 comments)
Survey: Many above poverty hurting
(35 comments)
This woman - Pam Blevins is very dangerous. She will do everything in her power to get you the maximum sentences. She will prosecute every little thing you do even sometimes just a small mistake, and she will always recommend to give you the maximum sentences. I know someone who has spent $$$$ for a small mistake that normal rational prosecutor will never even give a thought for prosecuting, but Pam filed against him anyway because she could, then she did not even show up in the court. After a year of back and forth, finally she dropped the case. My friend was suffering pains emotionally and financially just because of this woman.
This woman appears far too happy for her situation. The business of child sex crime prosecution must be akin to owning oil fields. Advice: When your picture is in the paper for prosecuting pedophiles, try to look mean; there's no effective way to put up a front when you're a prosecutor, so don't even try.
I don't support this suspect's alleged crimes, however, he is in serious trouble because he's already been judged by the media. Let the judicial system do its job. Innocent until proven guilty. She has coached this 4 year old girl.
She does a very hard job, and she does it well. I agree that not everyone tried is guilty. That's not her concern - that's the jury's concern, to figure out who is not guilty and who is guilty. It concerns me greatly that people seem more concerned about the predators than about the children who are being harmed.
The prosecutor's office in general is a dangerous place, they and there close families are above the law, but you aren't. they threaten with more serious charges, i know there was an article which said they didn't, but they do. they are the prosecutor's office, they have more power than God if you listen to scroggins. and whatever you do don't cross them, don't stand up for yourself, don't imply you are innocent, if they say you are guilty, you are, end of story.
That is disgusting that one thinks the 4 year old little girl was coached!
Open your eyes people. This sick twisted crime is everywhere! So sad what children go through, especially at the hands of their parents that are supposed to protect them!
Get 'em! Let 'em fry!
Mamu, I couldn't of stated it better. A hat tip to you.
These are crimes of the most heinous nature.
So is killing or beating a child. but that doesn't matter to the prosecutor. they cry that these cases are hard to prosecute (the child abuse, killing a child) however if these crimes were charged in the correct manner, maybe they would win a few of those as well. former gov. blunt passed new sentencing guidelines on child molestation, which is a very heinous crime, but killing or abusing a child is different. 7 years for taking the life of a child. what a sad message to send.
All of my experiences with the prosecuters office have been nothing but positive, well, a couple times it was not in my favor, but it was fair.
i moved from st. joe several years ago and now i know why..
there are to many whiny people you dont like belvins cause she prosecutes child molesters don't like the school district because they want to give your kids better schools don't like the police because they arrest people who break the law all these agencies are corrupt why in the world would you stay in a town you so obviously hate... move somewhere else that is not corrupt but to keep complaining about every decision that is made here is cowardly and shows that you have no respect for your local govt just move and give the rest of the town some peace and quite
a child is innocent , they only need love and support and not sic , they need to stay innocent and learn what a wonderful life without sic is all about. i enjoy the smile of a child , it means they are happy, the way they should always be.keep up the good work to keep all of our childeren safe.
SATURNLADY - Give me a break!!! I am sure your "friend" was just as pure as the driven snow.
I am sure with as hard as Ms. Blevins works she had NOTHING better to do than to go after this innocent “friend” of yours. As far as her being dangerous… No, that is the criminals! Learn the difference & as far as doing everything in her power to get "them" the maximum sentence, that is her job! Fly straight & you will not be in her path of destruction.
I cannot believe some of the posts on here, a child is the most precious thing on this earth, yet when an adult takes that away the adult becomes the victim and the child the bad guy?
I say let them (anyone who would hurt a child)all burn in hell and hope and pray that the child can get the help and counseling they need to get through their life changing ordeal.
As to rxyrch I saw your post as well under the Davies case. I too believe that the punishment should be changed but that is not up to a prosecutor it is up to us the citizens of Missouri to pressure our legislator's to make the changes. The prosecutor's can only work within the guidlines they are given.
I woul also like to say as in the case that you refer to (Blanton) that was very tragic! Even more so is the fact that the family did not protect that child as established in the safety plan, then the family was more worried about civil lawsuits than cooperating with law enforcement. Unfortuantely in this case the only one speaking up for the child/victim was the Buchanan County Prosecutor's Office and the Police Dept.
Sorry I forgot to mention as to MichaelH it is to bad that you forget where you came from, well at least where you were at during part of your career.
I guess that you chose and still are choosing dope smoking and hangign out with criminals over the law enforcement career that you once had and that is really sad.
I guess some day it will not suprise me to read about you being arrested for drugs or some other crime that will relate back to drug use.
Every day law enforcement has to make life and death decisions and to second judge them is just plain wrong. I know that mistakes can be made, they are human as well but it all comes down to the victim, the child and that is who deserves better. It is not up to law enforcement or the prosecutor to decide guilt or innocense only to present the information to the judge or jury.