South Georgia Prosecutor Takes Oath as Special AUSA in Effort to Fight Crime

Swearing-in conducted remotely by phone due to COVID-19 restrictions

VALDOSTA, Ga. – A member of the Valdosta Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Task Force, Alapaha Judicial Circuit Assistant District Attorney Rebekah Ditto, was sworn in as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in an effort to strengthen the task force’s ability to prosecute violent crime with even greater success, said Charles “Charlie” Peeler, the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. The swearing-in occurred on Wednesday, March 25, 2020 and was conducted remotely by phone due to social distancing restrictions in place since the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19). Ms. Ditto is a graduate of the University of Georgia and Vermont Law School. Since 2013, she has served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Alapaha Judicial Circuit, which encompasses Atkinson, Berrien, Clinch, Cook and Lanier counties. Ms. Ditto currently serves as the Chief Assistant District Attorney for the Alapaha Judicial Circuit.

PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. PSN is a priority for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia, with the criminal division establishing PSN task forces in areas with the highest violent crime rates across the District. PSN Task Forces are operating in Valdosta, Albany, Columbus and Macon, comprised of members of law enforcement, as well as federal and state prosecutors.

“Under PSN, we work with our law enforcement partners to prosecute the most violent individuals in our communities in the most appropriate court system, whether it be state or federal, with the single objective to remove dangerous criminals from the street for as long as possible,” said U.S. Attorney Charlie Peeler. “Ms. Ditto serving as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney amplifies this effort in the South Georgia community, allowing even more efficient and effective prosecutions of the most violent defendants. I want to thank Alapaha Judicial Circuit District Attorney Dick Perryman for his continued partnership as we collectively work to make South Georgia safer.”

Questions can be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603 or Melissa Hodges, Public Affairs Director (Contractor), United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 765-2362.