Quick Facts
Biography
Davis R. Ruark (born 1955 in Salisbury, Maryland, U.S.) is a Deputy District Attorney in the Third Judicial District Attorney's Office in Las Cruces, Dona Anna County, New Mexico. Formerly he served as a Chief Deputy District Attorney in the Eddy County/Carlsbad District Attorney's Office in the 5th Judicial District of New Mexico. Ruark's father, Elmer F. Ruark served as Mayor of Salisbury, Maryland, from 1974-1982.
Education
Davis Ruark graduated from Wicomico Senior High School and then attended Wake Forest University where he earned a B.A. degree in history. Ruark then entered the University of Baltimore School of Law, earning a Juris Doctor degree. He was admitted to the Maryland bar in 1981. Ruark was also granted a Limited License to practice law in New Mexico in March, 2012. After passing the New Mexico Bar Examination, he was fully admitted to practice law in New Mexico on September 25, 2012.
Career
Ruark was initially appointed State's Attorney for Wicomico County in February, 1987. A member of the Democratic Party, he has subsequently been elected on five separate occasions, without opposition. Ruark was defeated for re-election in a very low turnout Democratic primary election in September, 2010. Matt Maciarello then defeated Seth Mitchell in the general election to become the State's Attorney. Ruark remained in office until January 3, 2011.
As State's Attorney, Ruark personally prosecuted some high-profile cases, including death penalty cases. One example of a high-profile case, that he prosecuted, is the drunk driving case involving Michael Phelps, an Olympic gold medalist.
Ruark was sworn in as a Special Counsel for the State of Maryland and Special Assistant State's Attorney on January 3, 2011. Ruark assisted with the prosecution of Thomas Leggs, Jr., the person found guilty of murdering eleven-year-old Sarah Foxwell over Christmas 2009.
On March 12, 2012 Ruark was sworn in as a Senior Assistant District Attorney/Senior Trial Attorney in the 5th Judicial District in New Mexico. Ruark was designated as Deputy District Attorney for the Fifth Judicial District of New Mexico on November 8, 2012. Ruark was then promoted to Chief Deputy District Attorney in the Fifth Judicial District on February 20, 2013 and assigned to the Eddy County/Carlsbad office.
Since arriving in New Mexico, Ruark has continued his career of handling many high-profile cases. He prosecuted a large number of murder cases and handled cases in Roswell and Albuquerque. As Chief Deputy District Attorney for the Fifth District Attorney's Office, Ruark supervised the attorneys in the Carlsbad office.
On April 27, 2015 Ruark was appointed as a Senior Trial Attorney in the Third Judicial District Attorney's Office. The Third District includes the cities of Las Cruces and Mesilla as well as other towns and villages. The District Attorney for the Third Judicial District is Mark D'Antonio. In April, 2016 Ruark was designated as Deputy District Attorney for the Third Judicial District Attorney's Office.
Arrest
On Friday, February 22, 2008, at 9:40 p.m., Ruark was arrested in Ocean City, MD for driving under the influence. He was later charged with possession of a handgun while under the influence. It was Ruark's only drunken driving arrest. As a result of the drunk driving case, he announced he would take a 30- to 40-day leave of absence and not personally prosecute any traffic, alcohol, or substance abuse cases.
In court, Ruark plead guilty to driving under the influence and received one year unsupervised probation, a $500 fine, and 12 points on his driver's license. The charge of handgun possession while under the influence was dismissed.
Ruark returned to work on a full-time basis in March 2008. Ruark's retains his Maryland Handgun Permit.