U.S. attorney takes oath of office
Governor, senator attend Fort Smith ceremony for Kees
FORT SMITH — Duane “Dak” Kees took the oath of office as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Arkansas on Friday during an investiture ceremony presided over by four federal court judges.
Western Arkansas Chief U.S. District Judge P.K. Holmes III administered the oath to Kees before an audience of about 200 that included U.S. Sen. John Boozman, who put forward Kees’ name for the position to President Donald Trump, and Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a former U.S. attorney for the Western District.
“He wanted to be of service,” Boozman said of Kees. “I think that summed him up.”
Also presiding over Friday’s investiture were U.S. District Judges Timothy L. Brooks and Barry A. Bryant and U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Ben T. Barry. Walmart Vice President Tom Gean, also a former U.S. attorney for the Western District, was master of ceremonies.
Kees, 43, was nominated by Trump on Sept. 28 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Dec. 20. He was initially sworn into office Jan. 5, succeeding Kenneth Elser, who served as acting U.S. attorney after Conner Eldridge
resigned from the position in August 2015.
“There is no greater privilege than to stand in the well of the court and say you represent the United States,” Holmes said of being U.S. attorney before issuing the oath to Kees.
Holmes served as U.S. attorney for western Arkansas during President Bill Clinton’s administration.
Kees said becoming the U.S. attorney for the Western District was his dream job and that his love for the district came from experiencing many parts of it. He said he has lived or worked in 10 of the 34 counties in the western Arkansas district and in five of its six divisions.
“I am a son of the Western District,” he said. “The Western District is not a geographic or some type of jurisdictional entity. It is home.”
Kees said he met Hutchinson while working for the Asa Hutchinson Law Group in Rogers from 2009-2013 and considered him to be a mentor.
Hutchinson said it was a unique honor to serve as U.S. attorney to represent the United States and believed Kees would do a good job.
“He is a zealous advocate, and that’s what it takes,” he said. Most recently, Kees worked as an ethics and compliance director at Walmart Stores Inc.
As U.S. attorney, Kees is the top-ranking federal law enforcement official in the Western District of Arkansas, according to the U.S. attorney’s office. The district comprises six divisions — El Dorado, Fort Smith, Harrison, Texarkana, Fayetteville and Hot Springs — and 34 counties with the primary office in Fort Smith.
He oversees a staff of 41 employees, including 21 attorneys. The office is responsible for prosecuting federal crimes in the district, including crimes related to terrorism, public corruption, child exploitation, firearms and narcotics.
The office also defends the United States in civil cases and collects debts owed to the United States.
Born in Little Rock, Kees is a graduate of the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville and the University of Arkansas School of Law. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2001 and rose to the rank of captain while earning numerous awards and decorations, including two Bronze Stars.
He served two deployments overseas to Afghanistan and Iraq.
During his military career, Kees served as a legal assistance attorney, trial counsel, brigade judge advocate and senior defense attorney. He serves as a major with the Arkansas National Guard at Camp Robinson in Little Rock.