Where Do I Know that Guy From?

Church or work? Church or work? Church or work!?!  "Where do I know that guy from?" 

I wish I had a nickel for every time I was forced to ask myself that on the fly as I am approached by someone who definitely knows me, but I am…well not too sure on.  

So as a small town prosecutor, it is not at all uncommon for me to run into people that I have dealt with at work.  Sometimes, defendants, sometime victims and sometimes neither of the above.  What makes matters worse is I have the name recognition of a gnat.  I have literally forgot a name and a face when the person is introducing themselves and has only gotten through the first two syllables of a three syllable name.  

The long and short of it is people come up in Walmart or at little league games to chat and I have no idea who they are.  They may be a close and lifelong friend of my wife who was at our wedding, or may be the mother of someone I just put in prison for murder.  Finally the cherry on the top of this “oh crap” Sunday is I can actually catch a bar complaint if I start to chat and have it wrong. 

More than once I have been

five minutes in to a conversation when I interrupt them and say, “wait, am I prosecuting you?”  If the answer is a yes, I am in huge trouble. 

In the legal world it is unethical for an attorney to speak with a represented party.  The problem is I can’t always remember and they don’t always tell me.

While this has happened many times, I know to stop the conversation if anything legal comes up so I have never gotten in to trouble, but boy is it uncomfortable.   

I was once in Walmart shopping with my daughter when a lady came up and just hugged me and started crying.  She thanked me for all I did for her and her daughter and how they were so grateful that I was able to put away the person who hurt her daughter.  When the encounter was over my daughter asked me “who was that?”  My only response was “I have no idea.” 

Clearly she was a victim’s mother, and I truly feel awful for not remembering her, but unfortunately I just didn’t.  I have a gnat’s memory, remember. 

While that was a positive exchange, it was not so good natured when I was approached while my three little boys and I were eating lunch in the playground in the McDonalds.  A former defendant came up and started yelling at me for what he perceived to be his mistreatment in his criminal case.  Did I mention that my little boys where right there with me.  Ahh the joys of being a small town prosecutor. 

I enjoyed the antimony of the big cities when I prosecuted in the Phoenix area and I never ran in to those I met through work, it is different here.  Everyone knows me, and where I live.  Good times in a small county. 

So, if I appear stand offish and aloof and you are wondering why you shelled out all that money for a toaster all those years ago when you were at my wedding, don’t be offended.  Just know you look kind of like a criminal😀.