“Eric Zahnd is an outstanding prosecutor who has every reason to be reelected,” Anderson said. “I have worked closely with Mr. Zahnd during his time as prosecutor, and I have personally seen him do everything it takes to protect children, prosecute tough cases, and crack down on career criminals.”

Anderson laid out what he said were “three reasons among many” Zahnd should be reelected.

First, Anderson pointed to Zahnd’s fight to protect children on the Internet.

“When the Sheriff’s Department began thinking about investigating Internet crimes against children, Eric Zahnd immediately saw the importance of these cases,” Anderson said. “He assigned an assistant prosecutor when we established the Platte County’s Cyber Crimes Unit and has personally handled our most important cases.”

Zahnd handled the case against Dennis Buchanan, Platte County’s first state Internet predator case. Buchanan was convicted and is serving six years in prison.

Platte County’s Cyber Crimes Unit began operations in early 2004. Two of Anderson’s deputies and one of Zahnd’s assistant prosecutors are assigned to the Unit. According to Anderson, the Unit has a 100% conviction rate. Zahnd’s work with the Unit has been recognized on TV’s The O’Reilly Factor, and one local television station has called Zahnd “a leader in the fight against Internet predators.”

Anderson said a second reason for his support is Zahnd’s courtroom skills.

“I have seen Eric Zahnd at work in the courtroom on multiple occasions,” Anderson said. “When a criminal fired several shots at two Highway Patrolmen during a high-speed chase, Mr. Zahnd refused any soft plea bargain and tried the case himself. I attended the closing arguments and was impressed with Mr. Zahnd’s command of the courtroom. Eric Zahnd is not just an administrator; he is an aggressive prosecutor who knows how to win a case in court.”

Anderson said he also saw Zahnd in court in the case against Chris Wallingford, a police officer who had an illegal sexual encounter with a child from the school where he was assigned. Wallingford is spending four years in prison as a result of the case, which Zahnd personally handled.

“Eric Zahnd made sure this corrupt police officer was brought to justice,” Anderson said. “Mr. Zahnd is a close friend and ally of law enforcement officers, but he would not tolerate the despicable behavior of this corrupt officer. Like me, Mr. Zahnd was offended this police officer would use the power of his badge to abuse a student. I watched Mr. Zahnd argue passionately for the maximum
penalty against this officer; as a result, the man went to prison for a long time.”

Third, Anderson praised Zahnd’s work to get tough on career criminals, even when they commit relatively minor crimes.

“Missouri does not have a three strikes law, but Eric Zahnd has thrown the book at career criminals so we can take them off our streets for good,” Anderson said.

As examples of Zahnd’s tough stand against repeat offenders, Anderson cited two cases. On April 6, Roger Beals, a 56-year-old man, was convicted of burglary for stealing $200 from a woman’s purse but received a 12-year sentence because he had multiple prior convictions, including an attempted kidnapping. Similarly, Brian Krenzer, who had six prior felonies, was convicted by a jury and is spending 25 years in prison for a purse snatching.

Zahnd has also strengthened laws against repeat drunk drivers. In 2005, after two years of work by Zahnd, the Missouri legislature passed a law that increased penalties for drunk drivers with prior convictions. Zahnd was joined in the effort by the parents of Louis Calandrino, Jr., a Platte County teenager who was killed by a drunk driver with two prior convictions.

Anderson said that this year he and Zahnd are working together to strengthen laws against Internet predators. Both Anderson and Zahnd have testified before the Missouri Legislature in favor of bills that would strengthen laws targeting people who use the Internet to entice children for sex.