 Chris Reynolds
Investigator of the Year 2007 Chris Reynolds Chris Reynolds, Chris Reynolds Investigations (Santa Rosa, CA), received the 2007 Investigator of the Year Award from the California Association of Licensed Investigators (CALI) at their recent mid-winter conference. Reynolds, a licensed private investigator since 1979, has worked on over 100 homicide cases, including approximately 12 death penalty cases. He serves dozens of school districts, colleges and municipalities handling sexual harassment and discrimination cases as a third party investigator. Reynolds’ successful career was highlighted by two homicide cases he worked in 2006 in Sonoma County. In both cases, he was a court appointed investigator for indigent defendants. One case, People v. Easterling resulted in a full dismissal before trial. Mr. Easterling was in custody for 18 months before his release. In the second, People v. Rutledge, a jury acquitted Zachariah Rutledge of a double murder after deliberating for 1.5 days. Mr. Rutledge spent four years in custody before his acquittal. It was noted that the evidence used to exonerate both defendants was collected by Reynolds. He is also known for his work in People v. Hitchings (1993, 6 Cal 4th 97) in which Reynolds obtained evidence from a juror which led to the reversal of Mr. Hitchings death sentence. The Hitching case is still one of the leading cases on jury misconduct in California. Reynolds is active in Sonoma County and is a featured presenter at many local organizational meetings. “Chris’ professional conduct and his commitment to serving his clients are exemplary,” said Nick Savala, CALI president. “Chris has proven to be a beacon for the many new investigators he has helped mentor into their own private practice.” CALI, founded in 1968, is the largest private investigator association in the world with over 1500 members. CALI, located in Sacramento, offers professional development for its members as well as legislative advocacy on behalf of the profession. CALI presents an annual Investigator of the Year award to an outstanding member.
| 
