Merced DA’s office says goodbye (again) to its ‘go-to’ guy

The “go-to guy” in Merced County’s District Attorney’s Office has decided to retire – again.

Joseph Tresidder, who has worked in the office since 1979, was celebrated Thursday night by his colleagues at Five Ten Bistro.

“He’s famous for being able to walk into the law library, go straight to a volume, pull down a book and go right to a case on the page,” said District Attorney Larry Morse II. “It’s a gift, like an artist’s eye and a musician’s ear.”

Tresidder said he got the job in Merced County as a deputy district attorney after answering a newspaper advertisement. Previously, he worked at a small San Mateo civil law firm. He served as the county’s assistant district attorney for nearly 20 years before retiring in 2011. He returned to the District Attorney’s Office part time as a deputy district attorney shortly after.

“It was a very interesting job where you were exposed to the entire human landscape,” Tresidder said.

Rob Carroll and Harold Nutt, the chief deputy district attorneys, both said Tresidder could answer any question quickly and with accuracy, calling him the “go-to” person for legal questions.

Those sentiments were echoed by detectives with other agencies in Merced County who work regularly with the District Attorney’s Office.

Merced police Detective Joe Deliman described Tresidder as one of the great minds in the legal community. “As far as the law goes, I know he’s always been a genius,” Deliman said.

Undersheriff Jason Goins said Tresidder’s retirement would be a great loss for all of Merced County law enforcement.

“Any time we were working on a case, especially a complex case, his guidance on case law would be extremely helpful in building a case,” Goins said. “He will be missed. It’s extremely hard to replace that level of knowledge. Hopefully, we can still turn to him in the future, should we need to.”

Attorney Paul Fromson said Tresidder is what young deputy district attorneys should model.

“He’s still the smartest guy in the DA’s Office,” said attorney Chris Lampe. “By a long shot,” Fromson added.

Tresidder was described as more than a “legal genius” in the District Attorney’s Office. Many toasted his generosity and integrity.

“You never heard anyone say anything bad about him,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Rob Carroll.

Tresidder said he was touched by the celebration.

Working in Merced proved to be an “interesting and rewarding experience,” he said.

This story was originally published October 16, 2015 at 5:09 PM with the headline "Merced DA’s office says goodbye (again) to its ‘go-to’ guy."