The Beadle County State’s Attorney’s office is often thought of only in a prosecutorial sense, but many vital Beadle social programs and victim service programs initiate in the office. Here is a bit about each member of the office.
Sovanna Beekman, Beadle County Human Services Director and Beadle County Diversion Coordinator
Sovanna Beekman wears a lot of hats in the Beadle County Courthouse. For the past seven years, she has served as both the Beadle County Human Services Director and the State’s Attorney Office’s Diversion Coordinator. Both positions are integral to the functioning of the county, regulating often-unseen details that allow the county governance to assist its constituents. Sovanna loves the multifaceted nature of her job, which requires both discretion and dependability. A typical workday might include Human Services tasks, such as providing accountability for loans and holding responsibility over much of the county’s fiscal support resources.
Sovanna also operates an important aspect of our local legal system as the head of Beadle County’s Diversion program, an initiative which offers low-level offenders an opportunity to avoid conviction and get back on track.
This program, as Sovanna puts it, “provides a balance between holding defendants accountable for crime, offering rehabilitation for individuals to decrease likelihood of reoffending, and encouraging service to the community.”
While innovative and effective, Diversion is not unique to Beadle County; Sovanna also frequently travels to support both Diversion and Victim Services in several rural counties throughout the East Central region.
In her free time, Sovanna is a true outdoorswoman—from waterskiing to snow skiing, fishing to hunting, her hobbies almost always include spending time with family and friends out in nature.
Nikki Fechner, Director of Victim Services; Legal Assistant for Circuit Court and Abuse and Neglect Court
Who keeps the victims of a crime up-to-date on court events? In Beadle County, that interactional role is filled by Nikki Fechner. She’s nearly reached three years as the Director of Victim Services for the State’s Attorney Office, and she serves as a human bridge between often-technical legal proceedings and the complex emotional, financial, and safety needs of those affected by crime.
On a day-to-day basis, Nikki makes phone calls and even holds meetings with victims, notifying them about important updates in judicial proceedings and identifying specific concerns or questions they may have.
When asked why her job matters, Nikki replies that keeping victims informed and engaged in their case helps to “humanize the legal system,” ensuring that specific individual needs are taken into account whenever possible throughout the prosecution process. She helps extend this advocacy to rural areas by working with East Central Victim Services, supporting smaller communities with much-needed victim assistance.
Finally, Nikki’s legal assistant responsibilities include attending and maintaining records for felony cases in Beadle County’s Circuit Court. This helps to ensure that the prosecution process remains as organized and efficient as possible.
Outside of work, Nikki can usually be found attending her daughter’s activities at Huron High School. She also enjoys travelling—her top destinations so far have included a trip to the Grammys in NYC and visits to several different beaches!
Crystal Anderson, Witness Coordinator and Legal Assistant, Juvenile Court and Magistrate Court
For Crystal Anderson, organization and communication are the foundations of her work. She’s the witness coordinator and legal assistant for Beadle County’s juvenile and magistrate courts, and her days consist of supporting and streamlining busy attorney caseloads.
Crystal’s work is both versatile and highly logistical: she files motions to move cases along, handles communication between defense attorneys and judges, oversees transfer of case materials between law enforcement departments and attorney offices, attends court while keeping notes and necessary prosecution documents at the ready, and reaches out to assist potential witnesses for court trials. These behind-the-scenes tasks keep the entire workplace operating at a fast pace, and Crystal ensures that the many simultaneous cases on any given day are each managed with precision and efficiency.
About her experience in the State’s Attorney Office, Crystal says: “I’ve been here for a year and two months, and I really love how our team flows and works together. We’re a small office with a very tight-knit environment.”
Crystal, of course, is particularly known for decorating the office with many plants of all shapes and sizes! She enjoys spending time outside work with her significant other and kids collectively, and takes pride in her three dogs: Cookie, Pepper, and Roxy.
McKenzie Duncan, State’s Attorney Legal Assistant
McKenzie Duncan is the newest of the group in the State’s Attorney’s Office. After interning here last summer, she obtained her bachelor’s degree last fall and has recently returned in a full-time role. As legal assistant, McKenzie is usually the first line of contact for the office window and on the phones. She helps to direct defendants, victims, attorneys, and any other individuals to the many services the State’s Attorney Office provides.
McKenzie’s other tasks include receiving reports from law enforcement, creating cases, writing and filing documents, and conducting case research.
Over the past months, McKenzie has developed a keen appreciation for the aspects of public interaction, problem-solving, and community impact that accompanies work in this office.
The opportunity to learn from and work alongside the State’s Attorney has also been a high point: “As a hopeful future lawyer myself, Alyssa provides a clear picture of the type of attorney I’d like to become someday.”
McKenzie spends her free time doing anything music-related, crafting, or travelling to new places with her husband and family.
Shantay Werdel, Beadle County Deputy State’s Attorney
Shantay Werdel brings fresh perspective and rural experience to the table as Beadle County’s new Deputy State’s Attorney.
An up-and-coming prosecutor hailing from Highmore, Shantay adds this part-time work to her other positions as the Hyde County State’s Attorney and Sully County Deputy State’s Attorney.
She cites a passion for protecting communities and upholding public safety values as her major motivators, and hopes to make a positive impact in Beadle County while holding a serious disposition towards confronting crime. Thus far, Shantay is very excited about this new venture!
While she notes that Beadle County has a larger population and therefore more criminal activity than the rural counties she has previously worked in, she is ecstatic at this “invaluable opportunity” to expand her range of legal experience.
Outside of the office, Shantay engages in public service as a member of her community foundation board and a local childcare board.
Alyssa Horn, Beadle County State’s Attorney; Regional domestic violence and sexual assault prosecutor
As the elected public criminal prosecutor in Beadle County, Alyssa Horn aims “to protect the community, to hold offenders accountable, and to provide support to victims.”
A native of Wolsey, our State’s Attorney has a wealth of experience in Beadle County’s legal world. Alyssa first interned in the State’s Attorney’s Office in 2016 and, upon completing law school in 2022, became Deputy State’s Attorney under Mike Moore. Later, she worked in private practice for a short time before acceding to her current position almost two years ago.
“When I entered this role,” Alyssa says, “one main goal was to reduce recidivism [a legal term referring to a convicted criminal’s likelihood to commit another crime]. So there’s a big focus on Diversion, especially for first-time offenders and juveniles.”
Alyssa’s work also extends into the Beadle County Treatment Court, a structured, court-supervised alternative to substance-related prison sentences.
Rehabilitation is a key element of her prosecution strategy, but Alyssa also firmly believes in both treating serious crimes with immediate action and prioritizing victims throughout the judicial process.
Outside of Beadle County, Alyssa serves as the Regional Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault prosecutor. This state/federal grant allows her to offer specialist services for certain crimes to areas with part-time prosecutors.
Whether in Beadle County or around the region, Alyssa emphasizes that one of the most important aspects of her job is maintaining “good communication with law enforcement and our community partners—including our area school systems.”
When not practicing law, Alyssa spends her time cooking, being with family, travelling, and working on reading through the Bible!
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