Retirement announcement

Missoula County Attorney Kirsten Pabst to Retire

Feb. 8, 2024
Missoula County Attorney Kirsten Pabst announced today that she will retire effective
March 31, capping a 30-year career in criminal justice.

Pabst, 56, says, “It has been the honor of a lifetime to have earned the trust of my fellow
citizens and to serve as your chief elected prosecutor. I am looking forward to spending
more time with my family, enjoying Montana’s mountains and lakes, and exploring new
ways to serve my community.”

Pabst started her career as a legal intern prosecutor in 1994, when she was first hired by
then-County Attorney Dusty Deschamps.

“They handed me a file and sent me to court on my first day,” Pabst remembered. “I
grabbed it and have never looked back. It has been so rewarding to witness the
growth and success of this office as we’ve adapted to meet the evolving needs of
crime victims and hold offenders accountable.”

Pabst worked as a deputy prosecutor in Cascade and Missoula counties, was called in
as a special prosecutor for Lewis and Clark County and managed a solo practice
before she was first elected as County Attorney in 2014. She was re-elected in 2018 and
2022.

For the past several years, Pabst has served the National District Attorneys Association
(NDAA) as a Vice President on the Board of Directors and member of the executive
committee. She has been teaching litigation skills at the local, state and national levels
for most of her career.

Pabst chairs NDAA’s National Prosecutor Wellbeing Committee, published a book on

secondary trauma, “Thriving Through Chaos, Survival Gear for Criminal Justice
Professionals,” and hosted a national conference that brought prosecutors from all over
the United States to Missoula. She frequently speaks on topics including secondary
trauma and organizational resilience, responsible criminal justice reform and domestic
violence.

Pabst has been named Criminal Justice Professional of the Year and recently received
two national achievement awards for her work in the evolving field of secondary
trauma mitigation. The National Association of Counties (NACO) recently honored her
prosecution-led pretrial diversion program, Montana’s first, with another National
Achievement Award. Recently the U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement Unit bestowed
its highest honor upon Pabst for her office’s longstanding partnership with the agency
and her commitment to protecting the people, property and natural resources of the
region.
Over the years, Pabst has successfully prosecuted hundreds of violent crimes and
worked on several of Missoula’s high-profile cases, including Martin Swan, the Blue
Mountain killer; Robert Davis, who was convicted of negligent homicide after a fatal hit-
and-run on Van Buren; the cold case investigation into the murder of school teacher
Vera Kvale; Caressa Hardy, who was convicted of two counts of homicide after a cold
case investigation involving human teeth identified in the family firepit; and the
photographer who was charged with sexually assaulting several of his clients.

“Every trial is an all-hands-on-deck situation. I am inspired watching my team come

together to present a case to a jury. From our discovery techs and victim witness
coordinators to the best prosecutors out there, they all dive right in to the saddest, most
horrific stories for the sole purpose of delivering justice to a child who has been harmed.
It’s transformative.”

When asked what she is most proud of, Pabst cites her collaboration with the
Department of Justice (DOJ) prior to her election. Soon after taking office, she rolled
out a state-of-the-art Special Victim’s Unit, which continues to serve as a best-practices
model. She oversaw the growth of the SVU from a single prosecutor to a team of nine,
who specialize in the nuanced and challenging cases of sexual assault, domestic
violence and child abuse. Pabst continues to work with the DOJ in other capacities,
including data collection, police training and improving prosecutor resilience.

Pabst is proud of the relationships her office has forged with our criminal justice partners,
including the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Sheriff’s Office, the Missoula Police Department,
Montana Highway Patrol, Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the Livestock
Commission, Postal Inspection and many others.

The landscape has changed a lot in 30 years. Pabst notes the growth in the office –
twice the number of employees – the infusion and reliance of technology in every
aspect of the job, and the intentional shift away from mass incarceration to more of a
risk-based focus. Staff personal safety has emerged as a top concern, with threats
against staff and their families becoming more ubiquitous.

What’s next? The Missoula Board of County Commissioners will appoint an interim
replacement. Pabst recommends, without hesitation, her Chief Criminal Deputy, Matt
Jennings, as her replacement.

“Matt is the best-suited, most experienced person to lead this office into the future. I
have no doubt he will continue to make it better, for our people and for Missoula
County.”

As for Pabst, she is not going to be slowing down any time soon.

“I have a few ideas up my sleeve. I will continue to engage in national policy work to
advocate for prosecutors, victims and local communities. I’m not going anywhere; I‘m
just ready to hang up my trial cleats for a while and serve in other capacities. I also plan
on doing a little plein air painting and off-grid camping, and I’m working on another
book.”