Twenty-six-year-old Alexis Overstreet was hired December 31st to replace Caleb Briscoe as assistant state’s attorney. Briscoe was elected Greene County state’s attorney in November.

Overstreet is from Bethalto and went to SIU-Edwardsville where she completed two bachelor’s degrees. One was in History with a minor in English Literature and another in Political Science. She completed law School at American University in Washington, D. C. in 2012.

Overstreet says state’s attorney Chris Reif has plenty of work for her to do.

“Bad checks – all of those cases will be mine,” says Overstreet. “Also, [Reif] wants me to get up to speed on asset forfeiture. I’m actually going to a training on that next week to learn more about that. Other than that, just kind of odds and ends. They all seem pretty flexible and it seems they’ll give me some leeway if I want to be proactive. That’s ultimately what was attractive about the position.”

She hopes her work in Morgan County will lay the foundation for bigger and better things.

“I see myself either staying in a position like this or eventually maybe exploring the civil side and going to the Attorney General’s office – I worked there as a law clerk and I really enjoyed that experience,” says Overstreet. “Or maybe going federal and seeking an assistant U. S. attorney position for Central Illinois. I worked at the U. S. attorney’s office in Washington, D. C. and I loved that experience.”

Reif says his memory and a look at the records lead him to believe Overstreet is the first woman hired as a prosecutor in Morgan County.