((Editor’s Note: The following was originally posted in the Henderson County Connect discussion group on LinkedIn.))
By Henderson County District Attorney R. Scott McKee
As the largest law office in Henderson County, your District Attorney’s Office, led by District Attorney Scott McKee, prosecutes all felonies that occur in the county as well as crimes involving public officials.
The District Attorney is also the chief felony law enforcement officer in Henderson County, and conducts its own investigations involving complicated crimes, public official misconduct, white collar or highly sensitive criminal offenses.
A felony is a case where a person can be sentenced to more than one year in prison, whereas a misdemeanor is a case where a person can only be sentenced to less than a year in County jail.
Henderson County has a County Attorney’s Office that handles misdemeanor and juvenile cases. Our County Attorney and chief misdemeanor law enforcement officer is Clint Davis.
The DA’s office also advocates for victims of domestic abuse in protective order applications and represents the Department of Family and Protective Services (CPS) in all cases arising in Henderson County.
The office handles a case load of about 1,700 criminal and civil cases per year and operates with a staff of 8 attorneys, 3 peace-officer investigators, 4 paralegals and 4 support staff.
Henderson County has a number of law enforcement agencies that submit cases to the DA’s office. Our county has 15 municipalities with police departments, the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, the Trinity Valley Community College Police Department, the Athens, Mabank, Malakoff, Brownsboro and Eustace ISD Police Departments, the Henderson County, Athens, and Gun Barrel City Fire Marshall Offices, as well as 5 Constable Offices that make up our local law enforcement agencies.
Our county also has its own Texas Ranger, Highway Patrol Office and Game Warden detachment. Last year, over 32 local, state and federal law enforcement agencies submitted cases to the DA’s office, to include the Department of Homeland Security, FBI and DEA.
Each case submitted to our office goes through a rigorous screening process before being presented to a grand jury. An investigator, agent, or law enforcement officer who wants to submit a case for prosecution must meet with a District Attorney Investigator or prosecutor when submitting a case. The case then proceeds to the grand jury attorney or the elected D.A., Scott McKee, for cases involving death and public corruption.
The DA’s office also handles all the appeals from convictions in the courts. Each prosecutor handles their own appeals. The appellate process can take years depending on the complexity of the legal issues and how far the case proceeds through the State and Federal Appellate courts.
In addition to handling the felony cases in court, the DA’s office also provides law enforcement support to the various agencies such as crime scene support, the drafting of search and arrest warrants, legal advice, etc.
The DA’s office is also heavily involved in educating the community and the prevention of crime through programs like “Go Blue” and the annual Crime Victim Conference.
The office also employs a full time victim assistance coordinator that assists victims of crime though the legal process and assists in the recovery of restitution and crime victim’s compensation through the state program.
District Attorney Scott McKee and his staff are committed to making Henderson County a safe community to live, work and grow a family. If you have any questions about your DA’s office or need to speak with Scott or a member of his staff, please don’t hesitate to call us at 903-675-6100, or contact Scott by email at [email protected].
Please also remember that we work for you. The courthouse is generally open during regular business hours and all courts are open to the public.