Criminal Division

District Attorney Douciere has seven talented prosecutors who handle trials and proceedings for adult offenders throughout the District. Douciere herself remains actively involved in the criminal caseload of each parish.

In Franklin Parish, Assistant District Attorney Caroline E. Hemphill handles all felony charges. Caroline began her prosecutorial career in 2017 after several years as a defense attorney. Assistant District Attorney Michael Ellington covers the misdemeanor charges in Franklin Parish, as well as Child Support Enforcement in the Fifth District. Assistant District Attorney Shirley A. Guillory Gee handles a number of sex offense cases in Franklin Parish and is also responsible for juvenile cases in Franklin, Richland, and West Carroll Parishes.

Assistant District Attorney K. Douglas Wheeler has handled felony prosecutions in Richland Parish since joining the office in 2000. In 2026, Assistant District Attorney Matthew Hollis joined the Richland Parish office and assists with the prosecution of felony cases. Assistant District Attorney Amanda M. Wilkins, among her many responsibilities in the District Attorney’s Office, handles the misdemeanor caseload in Richland Parish, as well as appellate and post-conviction relief (PCR) matters.

Assistant District Attorney Molly Clement, who joined the office in 2019, handles both felony and misdemeanor cases in West Carroll Parish.

The District Attorney’s Office in each parish receives criminal reports of arrest and investigations from law enforcement agencies and decides whether to file formal court charges in the matter. In some instances, particularly when the crime is punishable by life in prison or when more information is required to decide the appropriate charge, the case may be assigned to be heard by a Grand Jury, a body of citizens from the parish who make the decision on whether to indict the offender. Each case formally charged is randomly assigned by the parish Clerk of Court to one of the Fifth Judicial District’s three divisions. Each division of each parish has numerous preset criminal court days for arraignments, hearings, and other pretrial matters. Each of the three divisions also has two terms per year per parish for trials (petit juries) for a total of six trial terms per year per parish. The intent of the system is to move criminal cases through the system to resolution as quickly as possible, at the same time safeguarding the rights of the defendants. Many cases are resolved without trial by agreement between the defendant and the District Attorney’s Office, but only when the interests of the State and identified victims are best served by such an agreement.