Charlotte Observer
May 24, 2010
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/05/24/1454522/voice-for-abused-youths.html
Kelly Miller has spent most of her career putting child molesters in prison.
Among the hundreds of sex offenders the Mecklenburg prosecutor has convicted are a Catholic priest who molested a 14-year-old boy and a man who raped two teens after targeting them on MySpace.
On Tuesday, Miller will receive the 2010 Attorney General's Special Commendation Award for her work in convicting a man who molested an 8-year-old girl, took photographs of the sex acts and sent the pictures over the Internet. That child molester, John William Worthey, was sentenced in May 2009 to at least 115 years in prison.
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| Kelly Miller, a veteran Mecklenburg prosecutor, has been selected to receive the 2010 Attorney General\'s Special Commendation Award. U.S. Attorney Eric Holder will present the award to Miller at the National Missing Children\'s Day Ceremony in Washington on Tuesday. |
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder will present Miller with the award at the National Missing Children's Day Ceremony in Washington.
The award is given annually by the U.S. Department of Justice in recognition of extraordinary efforts by a law enforcement officer who has made a significant contribution to the safety of children. Nominations for the award were submitted from across the country.
In prosecuting Worthey, Miller spent extra time with the victim, getting the child acquainted with the legal system and court proceedings, and establishing trust before the trial.
The relationship Miller cultivated enabled the child to testify accurately and confidently before the jury about what Worthey had done to her.
Worthey had pleaded not guilty to the sex crimes. But after the victim and two other prosecution witnesses testified in his trial, he changed his mind and pleaded guilty.
He was sentenced to a minimum of 115 years and a maximum of 142 years in prison. It's the longest sentence Miller has obtained in more than nine years as an assistant district attorney.
"No amount of prison time will ever change the fact that the victim was repeatedly abused by this man," Miller told the Observer at the time. "The victim must live with the consequences of the defendant's conduct for the rest of her life. It seems appropriate that the defendant, too, must now live with the consequences of his actions for the rest of his own life."
Miller, 38, and the mother of two young children, has been prosecuting sex crimes against children for six years. It's a job she describes as stressful but rewarding.
"When a child is molested, it is devastating for the entire family," Miller said. "Having small children of my own, I can view these cases from the parents' perspective. One of the best parts of my job is meeting with these families and assuring them that they won't be alone in the court process. They know that they have an advocate for their child. Giving children a voice in the justice system is why I do this job."
Miller said it is "truly an honor" to receive the Justice Department award.
"The prosecution of John Worthey was a team effort," she said. "If not for the exhaustive efforts of members of the State Bureau of Investigation, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police, U.S. Postal Service and Pat's Place Child Advocacy Center, Mr. Worthey may have never been arrested or convicted.
"I am proud of the work that we all did on this case and for this little girl."
Contact: gwright@charlotteobserver.com
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