Service as District Attorney

A district attorney must not only be able to handle the diverse cases which confront his office, but he must also administer to those who work with him and those he works with.

In the first years after my election, I was able to assist our local community in helping to establish Children’s Safe Harbor and the Montgomery County Drug Court, both of which have greatly benefitted the county’s law enforcement efforts. My office also began the collection of bond forfeitures from the bonding companies when their clients failed to appear for scheduled court appearances; to date we have collected $1,078,634, which goes directly into the general fund for Montgomery County. I have fought the horrors of drunk driving by initiating, along with Steve Rayburn of the Texas Highway Patrol, mandatory, court-ordered blood tests for all persons arrested for DWI who refuse to take a breath test; we have done this on New Year's Eve 2006-2007, St. Patrick's Day 2007, and July 3, 2007, and eventually this will become a routine part of all DWI arrests in the near future. In July of this year, 2007, my office became a 24/7/365 operation with lawyers on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, to serve the growing needs of not only law enforcement, but also you, the citizens who rely on law enforcement to protect you. Drug forfeitures also play a major role in helping to finance various law enforcement projects in Montgomery County, as well as providing funds for charitable organizations which indirectly contribute to combating crime in our county. For the period of January 1, 2004 to June 30, 2007, we have collected $1,121,329.72, taken possession of 57 vehicles, 1 flatbed trailer, 1 refrigerated trailer, 1 tractor, 1 computer, and 2 security systems; the head of the Sheriff's S.I.U. is currently driving a Cadillac Escalade which was forfeited for his benefit.

I serve on the following law enforcement related bodies:

• Crimestoppers Advisory Board
• Jail Diversion Task Force
• Community Justice Council
• Indigent Defense Task Force
• Environmental Concerns
• Roots of Change Coalition

I am a member of the Texas District and County Attorneys Association and serve on the legislative committee. In this capacity, I have been able to strengthen and improve the criminal laws emanating from our state legislature every 2 years, culminating this last session in the passage of a law which allows state prosecutors to protect involved citizens by sealing search warrant affidavits for up to 60 days (thank you to Senator Tommy Williams for not giving up on this vital piece of legislation). I have also been a speaker/presenter at Texas District and County Attorney’s Association seminars.

I am a member of the Montgomery County Bar Association (past service as publicity chairman), The Woodlands Bar Association, and the Criminal Justice Committee of the State Bar of Texas.

I have been honored in the past year to join the College of the State Bar of Texas which is limited to attorneys who double the required hours of annual continuing legal education.