DA candidates exchange barbs ahead of primary

By Nathan Mayberg
MILFORD — Pike County District Attorney Ray Tonkin will be challenged on Tuesday, when he faces off against local attorney Kelly Gaughan in the Republican Party primary.

In separate interviews this week, the two attorneys took shots at each other on a host of issues, reflecting the contentious nature of the race.

Tonkin has been district attorney for the past seven years and is in the middle of seeking the death penalty against Eric Frein in the state trooper ambush case. He says his experience as a prosecutor and criminal trial lawyer sets him apart.

Gaughan has been in private practice for 16 years, with the law firm Levy, Stieh and Gaughan. She says she is committed to prosecuting domestic violence and child abuse cases. She said that, as a defense attorney, she has had just as much experience in trials as Tonkin, and has handled more than 100 trials over the past 15 years.

While she has been a criminal defense lawyer, her trial work has involved civil trials, not criminal jury trials.

"I have 15 years of broad-based courtroom experience," she said.

In addition to her criminal defense work, Gaughan said she has represented clients in matrimonial cases, custody cases and domestic violence matters.

She is married to a retired state trooper and has received the backing of two statewide organizations of state troopers. That is notable since Tonkin is prosecuting Frein, who is accused of shooting two state troopers, killing one in an ambush outside the Blooming Grove barracks on Sept. 12. The shooting led to a nearly seven-week manhunt that drew national attention. Tonkin has received the endorsement of the Pike County Sheriff, Phil Bueki.

Gaughan said she planned to run for district attorney before the Frein shooting. She said she would dedicate her time to getting caught up with the case in order to prosecute it.

Tonkin cited his work on bringing convictions in eight murder trials as an advantage. He also has experience in seeking the death penalty in murder cases, including one current cases.

In addition to leading prosecutions, Tonkin said his experience in guiding assistant district attorneys in their trial cases is important.

The fight against drugs
Both candidates have different takes on the best way to fight drug abuse in Pike County, with Tonkin emphasizing arrests and Gaughan treatment.

Tonkin said the Pike County Drug Task Force made a record amount of arrests last year.

"We believe that has had a positive effect in the community," he said.

Forcible burglaries were down approximately 33 percent last year compared to a year earlier, he said, and thefts were down 11 percent.

Gaughan said crime is up, and that by putting non-violent drug offenders in jail, their potential to re-offend remains high. She supports establishing new programs to treat drug addiction.

She said a drug court is needed to divert non-violent drug offenders away from the criminal justice system. She supports alternative measures to incarceration, like boot camp and electronic monitoring systems for offenders.

"It gives people the opportunity to return to the community and be productive citizens," she said.

She said she would also work with state and federal law enforcement to go after drugs.

Gaughan took issue with Tonkin for using campaign flyers that used a picture of Frein to state that he is the only candidate with experience prosecuting a murder.

"It's exploiting and politicizing a tragedy," she said.

Frein's attorneys initially requested a change of court venue over those flyers, claiming they tainted the jury pool. They have since withdrawn their request, but are still asking the Pike County Court of Common Pleas to stop Tonkin from referring to their client or using his imagery in his campaign.

Tonkin called Frein's lawyers' request "a legal stunt."

Gaughan also wants a veteran's court for the county. Tonkin previously said he applied for a grant to fund a new position in his office to refer veterans with drug or alcohol dependency to a veteran's hospital.

The primary will be held on Tuesday, May 19, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at polling locations across the county. To locate a poll, visit www.pikepa.org/elections.html.