Press Release

Doug Gardner Appointed Juneau District Attorney; Two Juneau Prosecutors Move to Senior Positions Within the Department of Law's Criminal Division

June 29, 2006

(Anchorage) - Deputy Attorney General Susan Parkes, who supervises the Department of Law's Criminal Division, announced several key position changes today. Doug Gardner has been appointed as the Juneau District Attorney. Pat Gullufsen was appointed a senior, statewide prosecutor. Rick Svobodny was appointed Chief Assistant Attorney General within the Criminal Division, replacing Dean Guaneli, who retires at the end of June.

"Dean started in 1976 and has had his hand in some of the Department of Law's most significant accomplishments," said Attorney General David Márquez. "Within this current Administration Dean was instrumental in drafting Governor Murkowski's omnibus crime legislation and rewriting Alaska's felony sentencing laws. It has been an honor for me to serve with an attorney of his dedication and quality. I thank him for his 30 years of public service. He will truly be missed."

Svobodny replaces Guaneli as Chief Assistant Attorney General within the Department of Law's Criminal Division. He will provide legal advice to several criminal justice agencies, including the Department of Public Safety. He will also supervise the Office of Special Prosecutions and Appeals and the Cold Case prosecution unit. Svobodny became a Senior Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division and the state's first cold case prosecutor in January 2006. He started with the Department of Law in 1975 as an assistant attorney general. He worked as an assistant district attorney in the Juneau office from 1978-84 and served as the Juneau District Attorney for nearly 20 years.

Pat Gullufsen, who became Juneau's District Attorney, after Svobodny, will be moving into the cold case unit to take advantage of his years of experience in homicide cases. Pat will also be available to assist in complex criminal prosecutions across the state - but particularly in Southeast Alaska. Gullufsen was admitted to the Alaska Bar in 1974. He served as an assistant district attorney and with the Office of Special Prosecutions and Appeals in Fairbanks for four years. He served as the Juneau District Attorney from 1979 to 1984. From 1992 to 2001 Gullufsen was an assistant attorney general in the government affairs section in Juneau. From 2002 to 2003 he was Deputy Attorney General for the Criminal Division. In 2003 he was appointed the Juneau District Attorney. "Pat's extensive experience in prosecutions makes him extremely well-suited to advise on our most challenging cases, including our cold case prosecutions," said Parkes.

Gardner served four years as an assistant district attorney in the Juneau office before his appointment as the Juneau District Attorney. Prior to working as a prosecutor, Gardner worked as an assistant attorney general in the department of law's transportation section from 1995 to 2002.

"As Dean moves on to new pursuits in his life, his departure provides the opportunity for three talented and experienced Southeast prosecutors to move up within the department's ranks," said Parkes. "Doug's appointment maintains continuity in the Juneau district attorney's office and I am confident that the office's high standard of quality will continue under his watch. Rick and Pat are senior statesmen in the criminal division and in their new positions they will be incredible resources for the department's prosecution efforts across the state."

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Department Media Contacts: Communications Director Patty Sullivan at patty.sullivan@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6368. Information Officer Sam Curtis at sam.curtis@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6269.