Valley County will have a new prosecutor starting next month.
On Wednesday, the Board of County Commissioners approved promoting current Chief Deputy Prosecutor Brian Oakey to Valley County Prosecutor as of Oct. 1.
The move follows the resignation of current Prosecutor Brian Naugle, who accepted a position as the executive director of the Idaho Prosecuting Attorneys Association.
Oakey has handled the county’s civil case load since 2021 and served as the county’s main legal advisor on planning and zoning matters, including the nearly-complete negotiation of new boundaries for the McCall Impact Area.
The trip down the hill to Costco might get easier, with possible Idaho 55 location
Oakey was one of three candidates interviewed by the county commissioners on Wednesday. Oakey’s experience, both under Naugle and broadly throughout his career, made him the board’s unanimous choice.
“I just think Mr. Oakey rose to the top with his experience, his knowledge of both sides, and his view of the future for the county,” Commissioner Katlin Caldwell said.
Commissioners Neal Thompson and Sherry Maupin, who chairs the board, agreed with Caldwell.
“Continuity is important,” Maupin said.
Oakey told commissioners at the beginning of his interview that his top goal is to build on the success achieved by Naugle since he was elected county prosecutor in November 2020.
“My interest in the position really is to continue to build upon the momentum we built over the last four years,” Oakey said.
Increased prosecution rate
That statement resonated with the county commissioners, who credited Naugle for improving the county’s track record in prosecuting crime.
“In the past, we actually used to get a lot of complaints that prosecution was not happening,” Maupin said. “People were being allowed to get away with stuff, but the public was not on board with it. So I very much appreciated the change when Brian came on.”
Currently, the prosecutor’s office has 41 open felony cases and 94 open misdemeanor or citation cases.
Prosecution philosophy
While Oakey shares a similar philosophy to Naugle, he also said it is a “high priority” to provide diversion programs and rehabilitation opportunities for young people who commit crimes.
“They need to be accountable for their actions, but they need to be given a second chance,” he said. “Diversion can play an important role in helping our youth become better adults.”
That same principle can apply to some adults, Oakey said, though he considers himself “more hard-nosed” with adults who “owe a debt to society” for crimes they committed.
Without donors like you, this story would not exist.
Make a donation of any size here
Division of caseload
Oakey plans to continue focusing on civil law while deputy attorneys handle criminal cases, which are Naugle’s specialty. However, Oakey said he will help wherever he is needed within the prosecutor’s office.
“I’m a big believer that the boss needs to know all the jobs,” he said.
Oakey will earn $149,000 as the county prosecutor, Valley County Clerk Doug Miller said.
He must seek election in 2026 to earn the right to complete the four-year term that Naugle was elected to in 2024. Oakey would then be up for re-election to a four-year term in 2028.
Oakey told Valley Lookout on Friday that he is “grateful for the opportunity” and the “vote of confidence” from the county commissioners.
“The Valley County Prosecutors Office, under Brian Naugle’s leadership, has worked very hard to build a relationship of trust with the community, law enforcement and other elected leaders,” he said. “I will continue to build on that foundation, prioritizing hard work, integrity and doing the right thing.”
Meanwhile, Naugle told Valley Lookout that it was a “difficult decision” to leave the prosecutor’s office, but said the opportunity with the Idaho Prosecuting Attorneys Association was too good to pass up. His new role will see him help train and support prosecuting attorneys across the state.
“Despite the change in jobs, I intend to maintain my home here in Valley County and will continue to be a resource to Valley County’s Prosecutor and other elected officials in my new role,” he said.
The county commissioners also interviewed Spencer Lay, a former criminal attorney in Boise County who, for the last six years, has worked as a legal advisor for the Ada County Sheriff’s Office.
Lay was the commissioners’ second choice for the position. A third candidate, longtime Nevada lawyer Mark Shockley, was also interviewed.
