Waukesha County district attorney race, coworkers face each other

WAUKESHA, Wis. - Waukesha County will have a new district attorney for the first time in nearly a decade as two deputy district attorneys face off in Tuesday's Republican primary.

Lesli Boese and Mike Thurston, coworkers in the district attorney's office, are running against each other. With no other challengers, the winner of the primary will get the job.

"I think when we look at breadth of experience, I’ve tried every type of case there is. I think that really sets me apart," Boese said.

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Boese’s current caseload in the district attorney's office focuses on drug-related crimes, but she’s perhaps best known for prosecuting Darrell Brooks in a month-long trial for the Waukesha Christmas Parade attack. A jury convicted Brooks on all 76 counts. 

"I want to hold people accountable. It’s not just for the big stuff; it’s for the small stuff," she said. "If you hold people accountable for the retail thefts, hopefully they are discouraged from committing the more serious crimes."

Thurston also wants the office’s top job.

"The main issue is crime coming in from Milwaukee County. We have major crime issues coming from Milwaukee County," he said.

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Thurston prosecutors sensitive crimes for the district attorney's office. Last year, he prosecuted a teen for sexually assaulting woman in her 80s in downtown Waukesha. A jury found the teen guilty of armed robbery, armed carjacking and kidnapping – but declared a mistrial for the sexual assault charge.

"My opponent Lesli Boese talked about how she wants to run a bureaucratic office – attending meetings and how she thinks being the quarterback of the office is important," he said. "My intention has been the same from the start: being fearless."

"My non-prosecution rate is less than 2%. It’s one of the lowest in the office, and (Thurston's) is one of the higher ones," said Boese.

Both Boese and Thurston want to add more prosecutors to the Waukesha County District Attorney's Office, if elected, and both see election integrity as a key issue.

The race has been heated. The winner will become the loser’s boss, leading a team of prosecutors who hold criminals accountable for their actions.

"I sure hope – I pray that we can get past all this on Tuesday and get on to actually working," said Thurston.

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