Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, November 18, 1995                   TAG: 9511200031
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: RICHARD FOSTER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BEDFORD                                LENGTH: Short

PROSECUTOR'S MOVE BRINGS FULL-TIME JOB

But for Bedford County's new full-time assistant commonwealth's attorney, Dirk Padgett, there's nothing like prosecuting.

"When I go home in the evening, it gives me the best feeling in the world to know that I took somebody who's a danger to the community and had him locked away," Padgett said. "It's what I was meant to do."

Padgett, 34, formerly worked as a part-time prosecutor in Botetourt County under Commonwealth's Attorney Rob Hagan. He will start work in Bedford on Dec. 4.

Even though Hagan recently was defeated by Republican Joel Branscom, Padgett said that didn't play a part in his decision to leave the office. A former military prosector and special assistant U.S. attorney in the Navy, Padgett said he was looking for a full-time prosecutor's job.

In the Navy, Padgett prosecuted everything from drug offenses to child abuse to murder.

In Bedford, he'll specialize in juvenile crimes and domestic violence.

Padgett will fill a position that's been vacant since last summer, when former Commonwealth's Attorney Jim Updike became a judge and was succeeded by Randy Krantz. "Dirk brings a lot of experience to this office," Krantz said.

With Padgett on board and the addition of a victim-witness coordinator this spring, he said, the commonwealth's attorney's office should be able to provide more services to victims of domestic violence.