2007 News

October 16, 2007

District Attorney, Commissioners Dedicate John Knowles, Jr. Victim & Witness Suite
Ceremony Emphasizes Bucks County’s Commitment to Providing “Family” Hospitality in Times of Confusion and Turmoil

During a moving mid-afternoon ceremony dedicated to the memory of John Knowles, Jr. – the late son of county Det. John Knowles – Bucks County First Assistant District Attorney David Zellis joined county commissioners Charles H. Martin, chairman, James F. Cawley, Esq., and Sandra A. Miller to unveil a plaque on the fourth-floor John Knowles, Jr. Victim & Witness Suite. The refurbished courthouse room, which includes a pair of flat-screen televisions, a computer equipped with un-networked games, comfortable sofas and a centerpiece kids’ cartoon wall mural hand-painted by county employee Lyndsey Koches, will serve countless visitors to the District Attorney’s fourth-floor headquarters.

“I couldn’t be prouder today,” said John Knowles, Sr., who was joined by his wife, Debbie, to unveil the plaque outside the lounge door that reads, “Forever in our Hearts.” “This (district attorney) office is a family, and I feel very much a part of this family, very loved. When we lost John (to a brain aneurysm in 1999), I said, ‘Let there be good in this.’ “

The lounge, with its creature comforts and welcoming décor, will be a lasting legacy to John Knowles, Jr., whose foundation has helped provide 16 scholarships since his death.

“This is a special day that demonstrates our dedication to victims and witness,” Zellis told a large crowd of invited guests and media members. “We cannot convict anyone without cooperation. A couple years ago, we joined with NOVA (Network of Victims Assistance) and the Doylestown Business Alliance to offer free lunches to victims of crime. Following the success of that program, we decided to try our hand at interior design. That led to the Extreme Makeover of this suite.”

Zellis introduced the commissioners, who offered their congratulations on the project. “If people can come here and relax, it’s a wonderful thing,” Commissioner Martin said. “It’s a wonderful use of county facilities.”

“I’d like to acknowledge the dedication of the hard-working folks in the district attorney’s office,” Commissioner Miller said before touring the room with her colleagues.

Commissioner Cawley thanked Zellis and his staff for their “vision,” adding that it is “unfortunate that we have to create a room like this at all. The individuals who visit this room may have suffered the greatest personal trauma in their life. Many of them don’t understand what has happened to them. That is when they’ll need the strength and importance of this room.”

Joining Zellis and the commissioners for the ceremony were Clerk of Courts Mary Smithson, Director of Corrections Harris Gubernick and Chief Information Officer Donald Jacobs, whose department set up the electronic elements of the Knowles Lounge.