U.S. Attorney Bart Davis and Shoshone County Prosecuting Attorney Benjamin Allen announce North Idaho SAUSA

COEUR D'ALENE - Bart M. Davis, United States Attorney for the District of Idaho, and Benjamin Allen, Shoshone County Prosecuting Attorney, are pleased to announce that Julia Zimny has been selected as the first North Idaho Special Assistant United States Attorney (SAUSA). In a recent meeting, U.S. Attorney Davis administered the oath of office at the U.S. Attorney's Office in Coeur d'Alene, while Allen welcomed Zimny on board as the first employee to hold this coveted position.

A coalition of governmental agencies partnered together to create and fund the North Idaho SAUSA to address drug trafficking crimes along the I-90 and US-95 corridors in North Idaho. The local government partnership includes Shoshone and Latah Counties, along with the cities of Coeur d'Alene, Kellogg, Lewiston, Mullan, Osburn, Pinehurst, Post Falls, Smelterville, Wallace, and Wardner. Additionally, the State of Idaho provided funding for the position through Governor Brad Little's "Esto Perpetua" initiative. Finally, the position is additionally funded by the Oregon-Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) federal grant program, administered by the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

"I am pleased to welcome Ms. Zimny into this newly created position" said U.S. Attorney Davis. "I am very thankful for the work of the partnership that created and funded this position, which will provide a valuable resource to help address drug trafficking in North Idaho. I want to also recognize the important efforts of Benjamin Allen, Luke Malek, and former U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit in bringing this position to fruition."

"The implementation of this position within our region is a landmark step in prioritizing the fight against drug trafficking in North Idaho. It sends a clear message to those involved in the drug trade that they are not welcome in our communities." said Allen "By dedicating the resources necessary to detect, investigate, and now prosecute those responsible for moving drugs through our communities, we create an environment of deterrence in our region, all while shifting the burden for incarceration off of our local taxpayers by transferring these cases into the federal court system, creating significant cost savings for our constituents" Allen commented.

Under the SAUSA structure, Ms. Zimny will be an employee of the Shoshone County Prosecuting Attorney's Office but will be detailed full time to the U.S. Attorney's Office to prosecute federal drug crimes that occur in the partner jurisdictions.

The North Idaho SAUSA program joins the Treasure Valley Partnership Gang SAUSA program in Boise, which began in 2007, and the Eastern Idaho Partnership SAUSA program in Pocatello, which began in 2015. Each SAUSA program utilizes state and local resources to support a dedicated prosecutor to prosecute, convict, and sentence armed criminal and drug traffickers in their communities. By utilizing the federal criminal justice system and the United States Bureau of Prisons, the programs each create a cost avoidance benefit to the State of Idaho of approximately $2.5 million a year.

HIDTA is an Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates with and provides funding resources to multi-agency drug enforcement initiatives, including the Special Assistant U.S. Attorney position.

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