Kamp seeks another term as associate judge

By his own estimate, Cape Girardeau County Associate Circuit Judge Gary Kamp has presided over more than 65,000 cases since he took office Jan. 1, 1995.

He'd like to preside over more.

Kamp, a Republican, announced this week he is seeking another term as Division III associate circuit judge.

He has competition: Last week, attorney Jeff Dix, also a Republican, announced his candidacy for the office.

Kamp said he brings a unique background to the position.

Before becoming a judge, Kamp served as an assistant prosecutor and then as a defense attorney -- a range of experience he said helps him see both sides of the cases that come before him.

"I'm the only candidate that's ever prosecuted a murder case, defended a homicide case and presided over a homicide case," he said.

Serial killer Timothy Krajcir and convicted murderer Russell Bucklew are two of the more notorious defendants who have passed through Kamp's courtroom.

He said Bucklew -- who eventually was convicted of capital murder for shooting a man and then beating, kidnapping and raping his girlfriend -- "never did show one ounce of remorse" for his actions, but Krajcir seemed to regret his behavior and the pain it caused.

"[Krajcir] was a very interesting person," Kamp said in a telephone interview Thursday. "I actually think that he was relieved to have gotten caught. ... You finally got closure for all these families that had wondered what happened to their loved ones."

"Interesting" is a word Kamp uses often to describe people he has met and cases he has handled.

One of the most interesting, Kamp said, was a domestic dispute in which a child custody battle led to a fight for custody of a dead woman's cremains.

"We've had a lot of interesting cases. Probably one of the strangest ones was the guy that got into it with his ex-wife. ... He actually got into her house, and he stole the urn that contained her mother's ashes, and he was threatening to pour them out if something didn't happen," he said.

Kamp said he is proud of his accomplishments in office -- particularly his role in reducing the average time it takes to resolve misdemeanor cases from 80 days to 60 days.

He attributed the improved efficiency to several factors.

In the late 1990s, Kamp successfully lobbied the county commission to convert some basement space to a courtroom, allowing the court to handle more cases at once, he said.

He also required attorneys to have "good reason" before granting continuances and began scheduling five cases per hour instead of two.

Kamp credited prosecutors and defense attorneys with helping streamline the process.

"I guess I'm at the top, so I kind of push them and prod them along, but ... it takes cooperation from all of them up there," he said.

Kamp said he also is proud of his role in encouraging state legislators to pass a law allowing sheriffs to create law enforcement restitution funds, through which offenders pick up the tab for some police activities.

Going forward, Kamp is excited about his latest project: the development of a pretrial release program that would use alcohol-detection devices, GPS monitors and other equipment to keep track of defendants awaiting trial on nonviolent offenses.

The program, which he said Greene County, Mo., has used successfully for several years, would save taxpayers money and free up jail space while allowing nonviolent offenders to remain productive as they await trial.

"I think that would be a real benefit to everybody involved in the criminal justice system," Kamp said.

epriddy@semissourian.com

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