Patch Candidate Profile: Chris de Barrena-Sarobe Runs For DA

WILLISTOWN, PA — Chris de Barrena-Sarobe, a career prosecutor and Democrat, is running for Chester County District Attorney.

Patch asked district attorney candidates to answer questions about their backgrounds and reasons for running for office.

Ryan Hyde, a former prosecutor, is the Republican candidate.

The district attorney earns an annual salary of $191,926 and serves a four-year term. Chester County has a population of 538,642 and is 759 square miles.

Chris de Barrena-Sarobe is the Democratic candidate.

• Age: 40
• Residence: Willistown with his wife and two daughters
• Education: University of California, Berkeley, bachelor’s degree: Temple University Beasley School of Law, law degree
• Work Experience: 2009-2015 Chester County Assistant District Attorney, 2015-2022 District of Delaware Federal Prosecutor

• Awards: Received Criminal Division’s 2022 Distinguished Service Award from Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. for work on Sinaloa Cartel international kidnapping case
• Endorsements: the Chester County FOP Lodge No. 11 and State Police Association FOP Lodge No. 66
• Website: https://www.chrisforda.com/

Question 1: Why do you want to be a DA in Chester County?

Answer: “I am running for office so that I can serve my community. I have been a prosecutor my entire career–I started at the Chester County DA’s Office after law school and worked there until 2015 when I left to serve as a federal prosecutor in Delaware.

“Now, after 13 years as a local and federal prosecutor, I believe that I have the experience needed to enhance the District Attorney’s Office and modernize its practices in a fair and thoughtful way.”

Question 2: What is your position on mandatory sentences?

“As district attorney, I have to litigate within the parameters that the state legislature gives me. Currently, there are few mandatory minimums that apply to Pennsylvania criminal cases.
That said, I recognize that many of the prior drug mandatory minimums that were on the books roughly ten years ago were unfair.

“I believe that any mandatory minimum sentences in the future should give the district attorney’s office the ability to waive the mandatory minimum so that we can exercise prosecutorial discretion on a case-by-case basis. I am not opposed to mandatory minimums for murder, rape, and child abuse offenses."

Question 3: What if any changes would you make in the office if you were elected?

Answer: "With crime in Chester County thankfully continuing to be low, there are two areas that I would like to move forward.

"First, the DA’s Office has a unique opportunity to communicate with and teach children. I plan to work with our school districts and law enforcement to connect with children and enhance existing programs that keep them safe.

"Second, it is important for people who are charged with crimes due to issues with drugs, alcohol, or mental illness to find paths to treatment as soon as possible. When treatment is successful, it protects the community by reducing recidivism and allows law enforcement resources to be focused on protecting the community from other threats.

"While the DA’s Office has recently introduced the Law Enforcement Team Initiative to provide treatment for those with substance abuse disorder, and the county commissioners have just funded a Mobile Mental Health Unit, I will work with stakeholders in the criminal justice system to identify ways to identify cases that can be resolved early in the criminal justice process. This will allow the offenders to get access to help earlier, enhance the success rate of treatment being provided, and allow more prosecutors to focus on priority cases.”