DA Reeb to retire in March

CLOVIS - After more than a quarter century of prosecuting accused criminals in Curry and Roosevelt counties, Andrea Reeb is calling it a career. But she likely won't be far away from prosecuting, even after her March 1 retirement as the Ninth Judicial District attorney.

"I just felt it was time to give somebody else a shot at the position," said Reeb, who has been DA for seven years. "I thought it was time to get my retirement, move on and try some other things."

Reeb, a 1989 Clovis High graduate, is likely to start quickly as a contract prosecutor after retiring as an elected one. Reeb said she originally planned to take a few months off in the spring, but it's become evident there's plenty of work in other districts because those prosecuting teams have to recuse themselves from cases. She's in the midst of one this week, as special prosecutor in the trial of Rio Arriba Sheriff James Lujan.

"There's no sit-out time for me," Reeb said of potential contract work, "so I can actually contract with this office on new matters."

Reeb didn't plan on returning to eastern New Mexico while she was attending Creighton University - undergrad in 1993, law degree in 1996. But her husband David, a Colorado native she met during law school, ended up landing a job at the DA's office in Clovis. She started Nov. 1, 1996, in the Portales district office and worked in both the Portales and Clovis office until her March 2014 appointment to the DA position. She won election to the final two years of predecessor Matt Chandler's term, and was re-elected in 2016 and 2020.

Reeb marked 25 years in law just over four weeks ago, with all of it as a prosecutor.

"I'm sure I flirted with (entering private practice) over the years, but I loved coming to work every day," Reeb said. "I was lucky to have a job I liked coming to every day."

Reeb's time in court covers hundreds of trials, with homicides generally the highest profile cases. She noted many cases that ended in pleas before the trial, like the 2017 shooting at the Clovis-Carver Public Library and a 2014 stabbing at the Goodwin Lake Walking Trails Park, were still massive undertakings. Plenty of cases did go in front of juries, including the 2005 shooting of 10-year-old Carlos Perez. Reeb was a deputy district attorney at the time of the shooting, and as DA she is still handling various matters to this day on a case that's resulted in 10 different defendants.

Her work in the office has reached beyond prosecution - including a "Break the Cycle" domestic violence intervention program, a "Picture This" safe texting program and the Abolish Chronic Truancy program. Additionally, the office has acquired a courthouse dog, gone paperless and operated a 5K color run that raises about $10,000 annually for the Hartley House and other organizations.

There will be quite a bit of work continuing those programs, while still doing the core work of prosecuting cases. But Reeb thinks the staff she'll leave behind will be up to the task.

"I feel confident," Reeb said. "We have a lot of young attorneys, but we also have some attorneys who have been here over 20 years and over 10 years. They'll be able to accomplish our mission and have fresh ideas. I have confidence in anybody from this office."

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's office posted the upcoming vacancy on Tuesday. According to the posting, candidates must have a law degree from an accredited school and seven years of legal experience, at least three years of New Mexico residency and current residency in the district. Applications are available by emailing Vanessa Kennedy at [email protected], and completed applications must be emailed to Kennedy no later than Dec. 22.

The appointment would run through 2022, with the term's final two years up for election. Reeb had planned a summer retirement, but realized a March retirement would let her successor spend a few months in the position before the June primary rolls around.

"You have no control over an appointment," Reeb said. "I wanted the voters to have a chance to get who they wanted into office as quickly as possible."