A veteran female prosecutor who was previously passed over for promotion in favor of a less experienced male counterpart has been elevated.

Jennifer Viehman, whose 17-year tenure at the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office has included roles in the successful prosecutions of Teller County fiancée-killer Patrick Frazee and a massive child-molestation case against former Colorado Springs police officer Joshua Carrier, has been selected as one of three chief deputy district attorneys, the office’s third-highest rank.

She appears poised to take a position being vacated by Margaret Vellar, who was appointed to a Pueblo County Court judgeship that starts in July.

The move follows the resignations of Vellar and two other senior-level women, who either left or posted plans to leave in May on the heels of complaints reported in The Gazette that longstanding female attorneys felt underappreciated in first-term DA Michael Allen’s developing administration.

“I am so grateful for the confidence bestowed in me by Michael,” Viehman was quoted as saying in a statement from the District Attorney’s Office announcing her promotion. “It is an honor to work for such a dedicated group at the District Attorney’s Office and to serve this wonderful community.”

Viehman did not return a voicemail requesting further comment. The news release didn’t mention Vellar or her upcoming departure. 

A spokesman for Michael Allen, who has faced scrutiny for other personnel decisions, including promoting a prosecutor whose family was tied to $13,000 in political spending to Allen’s successful political campaign, did not respond to multiple emails seeking an interview with Allen.

Viehman was among three veteran women who lost out on a chief deputy job near the start of Allen’s term that went to Andrew Vaughan, an 11-year-veteran who had significantly less experience than the trio. For example, Vaughan was still a rookie when Viehman obtained a 70-year sentence against Carrier after a more than monthlong trial. Vaughan has declined to discuss his promotion and couldn’t be reached for comment. He didn’t immediately answer an email sent after hours to his work account.

Donna Billek, a 22-year veteran of major cases who also applied unsuccessfully for Vaughan’s position, was later demoted from a rank she had held for 14 years, cutting her salary from $120,000 to $100,000. She also left in May. The office has declined to discuss her demotion.

Amy Fitch, a 24-year prosecutor who worked with Viehman on the Carrier case and handled many other serious felonies, also left in May, after sources say she also lost out on the job to Vaughan.   

“She will do a great job,” Fitch, who now works in the El Paso County Attorney’s Office, said of Viehman. “She is a career prosecutor with substantial experience, and it’s good for the office to promote people like Jennifer.” Fitch declined to address questions about her own departure.

Vellar, Billek and Fitch were part of an exodus of longtime prosecutors who have departed the office since January, including Susan Chadderdon, Terry Sample, Jennifer Darby, Michael Fisher, Nathaniel Marsh and Matt Roche. Black previously said the hundreds of cases they handed off to colleagues, including numerous homicides, would be handled by “experienced professional prosecutors, paralegals, legal assistants, advocates and investigators with oversight as appropriate.”  

Joshua Tolini, a longtime Colorado Springs defense attorney who helped represent Carrier and faced off against Viehman in court, called her a smart, hardworking attorney who is known for being an effective supervisor of younger prosecutors.

“I think she’s very qualified,” Tolini said. “I was surprised that Jen Viehman wasn’t promoted earlier.”