A second victim assistance coordinator has been hired in District Attorney Ricky Smith’s office.

Melinda Braxton began Thursday, her position funded by a grant that will run through September.

Braxton joins Brenda Theriot in assisting victims of crimes prosecuted in the Ninth Circuit Court District, which includes Sharkey and Issaquena counties in addition to Warren.

Braxton, who formerly lived in Cary, will primarily assist victims in Sharkey and Issaquena, said Theriot.

Braxton is a 14-year veteran of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, where she was based in Jackson but assisted victims of crime all over the state, said Theriot.

The office expects to be awarded $35,000 from the Victims of Crime Act, which will cover Braxton’s salary and benefits, Smith said. Funds from a previous grant year were used to pay for a third assistant district attorney until the office was informed they could not be used to pay for a prosecutor, Smith said.