D.A. Elevates Deputy to Head His Special Operations Office

SANTA ANA —  John D. Conley, who created the sexual assault and gang units for the district attorney’s office, was named Tuesday as assistant district attorney in charge of special operations, a move which essentially makes him the No. 3 prosecutor within the office.

Conley replaces Maurice L. Evans, who was recently named by Dist. Atty. Michael R. Capizzi to Capizzi’s former post of chief assistant. Capizzi was appointed by the Board of Supervisors less than a month ago to replace longtime Dist. Atty. Cecil Hicks, who accepted a judgeship. On paper, the chief deputy district attorney, James G. Enright, is second in line of authority, should Capizzi be out of the county. But Enright is a political opponent of Capizzi, and most attorneys within the office consider Evans--and now Conley--the two most powerful prosecutors in the office under Capizzi.

The special operations office is responsible for writs and appeals, fraud, narcotics, special assignments, training, consumer and environmental protection, and the family support sections.

Conley received the prestigious Outstanding Prosecutor award in 1988 from the state district attorneys association. The award was given partly because of his successful prosecution of Virl Earles, the driver of a boat which crashed into a concrete buoy in Anaheim Bay in Seal Beach, killing five people. Conley won the case at a second trial after nine jurors had voted to acquit Earles at the first trial.

Conley also has gained recognition for setting up and managing the office’s first sexual assault and gang units. Before, prosecution of those crimes simply fell within the felony and homicide panels in the office. Conley’s most recent assignment has been the dual role of running the juvenile and gang unit divisions.

“We were fortunate to have many qualified applicants,” Capizzi said in a news release about Conley’s appointment. “John was picked because he is not only an experienced trial lawyer, but a fine manager.”

At the time of Capizzi’s appointment by the supervisors on Jan. 2, legal pundits at the courthouse predicted that it would mean promotions for Evans and Conley, who have both been close to Capizzi.

Capizzi, however, still has a hurdle left to clear. Enright and Deputy Dist. Atty. Thomas Avdeef have filed a lawsuit challenging the supervisors’ authority to appoint Capizzi to the district attorney’s post. They claim that the district attorney’s duties should go to Enright--as chief deputy--until the June 5 election decides a new district attorney.