Attorney General William P. Barr Recognizes Federal Prosecutor In Utah For His Volunteer Work With Victims Of Domestic Violence

WASHINGTON – Drew Yeates, an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Salt Lake City, received the Attorney General’s Volunteer Award for Community Service Monday recognizing his significant efforts to reduce the rate of domestic violence in Utah. U.S. Attorney General William P. Barr announced the awards Monday.  Yeates was honored at a ceremony at the U.S. Department of Justice.

Yeates, a career city, county, and federal prosecutor, was one of three U.S. Department of Justice employees recognized for exemplary community service efforts and the only prosecutor. The Attorney General also presented two Attorney General’s Citizen Volunteer Service Awards to members of the public recognizing their outstanding contributions to the Department’s mission.

“Today we honor these exceptional men and women for their remarkable contributions to protecting and improving their communities,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “To take only a few examples, they have strived to keep schoolchildren safe, empowered victims of domestic violence, provided inmates with re-entry life skills, and fostered trust between law enforcement and youth. Our awardees’ communities have been made immeasurably better for their efforts. The Department of Justice and a grateful country thank them for their work.”

Although Utah’s homicide rate is one of the lowest in the nation, a disproportionately high number of them involve domestic violence.  Domestic violence-related deaths account for approximately 30 percent of murders across the nation.  In Utah, it is 44 percent.  Women are the most likely victim.

As a prosecutor, Yeates has played a significant role in addressing domestic violence by prosecuting perpetrators of domestic violence, including those in possession of firearms.

Recognizing that most domestic violence criminal prosecutions occur after a victim has been harmed, Yeates was motivated to find a way to protect victims earlier in the process. Since 2012, Yeates has volunteered at the Safe Harbor Crisis Center in Layton, Utah.  In his seven years of pro bono service, Yeates has represented more than 200 victims of domestic violence – assisting them in obtaining permanent protective orders in approximately 160 cases.

“We are very proud of the efforts Drew is making to protect victims of domestic violence in Utah communities.  He is using civil litigation tools in his pro bono work and his experience as a prosecutor in our office,” U.S. Attorney John W. Huber said today. “He represents the highest values of the Department of Justice in his professional work and exemplary community service efforts.”

Yeates is Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Salt Lake City.