Deputy City Attorney Matthew Starr and Chief Deputy City Attorney Karen Li pose with their awards. Photo courtesy San Diego City Attorney’s Office
San Diego City Attorney Mara W. Elliott announced Friday Deputy City Attorney Matthew Starr and Chief Deputy City Attorney Karen Li were honored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving for their work combating drunk and drugged driving.
Starr won MADD’s Outstanding Prosecutor of the Year award for 2021 and Li was presented with the chapter’s first-ever award for Volunteer of the Year at the MADD San Diego Law Enforcement Recognition Awards ceremony.
“We are so proud to have both of these individuals and their great work honored by our local chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving,” Elliott said. “Karen has spent countless hours informing the public about the dangers of drunk driving. Matt’s innovative work on prosecuting drug DUIs ensures that those people who refuse to obey the law are brought to justice.”
Starr handles some of the most challenging DUI cases in his role as lead prosecutor on the specialized Drug DUI vertical prosecution team, according to the City Attorney’s Office.
In People v. Ryan Doll, Starr convicted a driver who was under the influence of methamphetamine and Xanax that was found blocking the entrance to the San Diego Zoo’s Safari Park. In People v. Andrew Bohannan, Starr convicted a man who was involved in four separate collisions on La Jolla Shores Drive while under the influence of Fentanyl and marijuana.
MADD saluted Li for her work as a volunteer and advisory board member for more than 10 years. Li began volunteering for MADD in 2010 after her fiancé, Deputy Sheriff Ken Collier, was killed pursuing a drunk driver going the wrong way on Highway 52.
Since then, her “Ken Collier’s Crew & Public Safety Family” team has raised more than $60,000 for MADD and is one of the largest teams at the annual Walk Like MADD team event.