Friday, October 10, 2008      Winona County Departments > Attorney > Welcome Winona County Attorney Chuck MacLean Charles E. MacLean is the Winona County Attorney. The County Attorney is the chief prosecutor for all adult felony crimes in the county and also prosecutes misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor offenses occurring in the City of St. Charles, unincorporated areas, or in other limited areas defined by statute. The County Attorney prosecutes all levels of crime committed by juveniles within the county. The County Attorney provides assistance and support to victims of crime, including seeking restitution for losses they have suffered. The County Attorney serves as the legal advisor to the County Board of Commissioners and other County officials and represents the County in all civil litigation in which the County is involved. The County Attorney and his staff are not permitted to represent or provide legal advice to private citizens. The County Attorney initiates legal actions to protect abused or neglected children and vulnerable adults, and files involuntary commitment actions to provide necessary treatment for individuals who are mentally ill, chemically dependent, or mentally handicapped. Whenever federal benefits are paid out, the County Attorney brings actions to obtain or enforce child support obligations, or to establish paternity of a child, to obtain reimbursement of these public funds. The County Attorney also represents the County in child support and paternity matters where parents not receiving federal welfare benefits have applied for child support enforcement or paternity establishment services with the Winona County Department of Human Services.