DOJ Honors Asheville Prosecutor, Paralegal
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex M. Scott and paralegal Linda Cole were selected for 2026 EOUSA Director's Awards.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Criminal Justice
The Department of Justice selected Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex M. Scott and Appellate Paralegal Linda Cole for 2026 EOUSA Director's Awards. Scott received the Director's Award for Superior Performance in Indian Country, which is among honors given across 94 federal districts.
Why it matters
The recognition highlights prosecutorial work in Indian Country, where Scott serves as the Western District's Tribal Liaison and prosecutes cases on Cherokee and Catawba Nation lands. For Asheville, home to the office where both recipients work, the honors spotlight the local federal prosecution team.
Scott prosecuted U.S. v. Ernest Pheasant, in which Ernest Pheasant received a life sentence for the 2013 murder of Marie Walkingstick Pheasant. The announcement does not describe any pending appeals or further proceedings in that case.
The players
Alex M. Scott
Assistant U.S. Attorney serving as the Western District of North Carolina's Tribal Liaison, previously a prosecutor in Johnson County, Kansas and Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Linda Cole
Appellate paralegal in the Asheville U.S. Attorney's Office with more than 44 years of Justice Department service.
The details
Scott, who joined the Asheville office in 2022, led the prosecution as part of the Justice Department's Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons initiative. Cole docketed and tracked thousands of appeals and post-conviction matters in the Appellate Division.
Timeline
2013: Marie Walkingstick Pheasant was murdered.
2013 to 2021: Scott served as Johnson County, Kansas Assistant District Attorney.
2021: Scott joined the U.S. Attorney's Office in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
2022: Scott joined the U.S. Attorney's Office in Asheville.
Legal Context
Scott's recognition reflects the Justice Department's Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons initiative, which directs federal prosecutors to pursue violent crimes on tribal lands. The award marks work in Indian Country that carries forward that federal priority in the Western District of North Carolina.
Residents of Western North Carolina benefit when federal prosecutors focus on violent crimes affecting tribal communities, including the Qualla Boundary and Catawba Nation trust land. The recognition signals sustained federal attention to these cases in the region.
The takeaway
Recognition of federal prosecutors and staff underscores how sustained work in Indian Country depends on dedicated tribal liaisons and institutional memory. Readers can follow similar federal justice efforts as they develop in their own communities.
Further reading
Explore more on Criminal Justice coverage from the Asheville area.
