Prosecutor picked for parole board

Gov. Gary Herbert has chosen a longtime prosecutor as his first appointee for the state's five-member Board of Pardons and Parole.

Angela Micklos has been chief of the Special Victims Unit in the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office since December 2007. She was also chief of the office's Narcotics Prosecution Enforcement Unit and a deputy district attorney.

In addition to her time in the district attorney's office, Micklos was an assistant Utah attorney general responsible for litigating prisoners' post-conviction claims at the trial and appellate levels in state and federal court.

"Board members serve an important role in our state's criminal justice system," Herbert said in a statement released by his office. "Not only must they understand the system, they must be reasonable and fair in making decisions that impact the safety of our communities and individual lives."

The governor said Micklos "meets all of these criteria."

Micklos earned her law degree from the University of Utah College of Law and a bachelor's degree from Utah State University. She will fill the unexpired term of board member Keith Hamilton, whose resignation is effective Oct. 19.

Micklos must still be confirmed by the state Senate before joining the board.

— Geoff Liesik