Marble Falls resident Steven Todd has recently announced that he is entering the race to be the next District Attorney by seeking the Republican Party Nomination for the 33rd/424th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Currently, the Republican primary is scheduled for May 29th, 2012. Sam Oatman, the current District Attorney is retiring after 28 years of service. Todd has prosecuted Felony crimes as an Assistant District Attorney in all four counties included in the 33rd/424th district (Blanco, Burnet, Llano and San Saba), working in Oatman’s office from 2000 to 2007. In March of 2007, Todd was hired to prosecute criminal cases state-wide by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott’s office, joining the Criminal Prosecutions Division of the AG’s office. “As a full-time, experienced and hard working prosecutor, I am best qualified to step into the vacancy to be created with Mr. Oatman’s retirement, as I am the only candidate to have been a full-time prosecutor in the Hill Country where my wife Jennifer and I have been raising our 4 children in the Marble Falls area since 2000.” While working in the four county area which makes up the 33rd/424th district, including Burnet, Llano, Blanco and San Saba counties, Todd handled more felony prosecutions, grand jury presentations, jury trials and overall criminal cases and responsibilities than any other single attorney. “I love living here and thoroughly enjoyed serving the communities of the 4-county district as an Assistant District Attorney and would be honored with the opportunity to seek justice for crime victims and the public as the next District Attorney” explains Todd. “I have served both as an Assistant District Attorney locally and as Assistant Attorney General fulfilling the role of District Attorney pro tem in counties from East Texas to far West Texas to the Valley, the Border area and up to Texarkansas for the Attorney General’s office.” Todd has prosecuted capital murder cases, sending a murderer to death row and multiple “mini-cap” cases resulting in a maximum punishment of Life without parole, both locally and in other Texas counties. “I am the only candidate with an un-interrupted full-time prosecuting public servant record for the past 15 years, and I am committed to continuing the rewarding and important work of fighting for crime victims and against criminals who steal, drive drunk, or otherwise make our cities and towns unsafe.” Todd points to his strong record of successful maximum verdicts against dangerous Hill Country Criminals, such as repeat drunk drivers, meth lab drug offenders, and murderers, which were obtained after contested jury trials against local defense attorneys as well as other defense attorneys from Austin and beyond. “Because I have done the hard work of local and state-wide felony prosecution for many years, I can say that no one else has the courtroom record of success that I do that makes me uniquely qualified to continue passionately and professionally fulfilling the role of State’s prosecutor as the next District Attorney.” Todd has worked with every kind of victim and law enforcement agency and officer in the four-county area and points to his reputation as a responsive and accessible public servant.Some of the more notable cases that Todd has successfully prosecuted are the Michelle Talley case, (embezzling Marble Falls ISD Secretary) and the Deshon case (involving a Felony Criminal Mischief case involving the willful and non-consensual destruction of trees on a retired couple’s secluded property near Lake Marble Falls). Additionally, Todd has prosecuted numerous drug offenses and repeat offending drunk driving cases, sending criminals to long or maximum prison sentences after contested jury trials. Todd has also excelled at winning for the State on appeal after criminal trials. “Defending the trial court successes in felony cases is important and an important part of the D.A.’s responsibility, and I have a solid record of winning when defendants try to avoid responsibility by seeking to reverse a conviction or punishment on appeal,” explained Todd. Todd’s numerous successful prosecutions locally and across the State can be found in more detail on his website at www.Todd4da.com. Todd explains that the District Attorney has the sole responsibility to work with victims and law enforcement and county officials as well as grand jurors in every case that involves either public corruption or any felony offense. “I have handled every kind of case with success in courtrooms and jury trials that comes across the District Attorney’s desk both locally as an A.D.A. and with Attorney General Greg Abbott’s office where I continue seeking justice full-time as a specially trained and appointed prosecutor in numerous counties at the same time, very similar to the work the local D.A.’s office handles.” This experience, explains Todd, makes him the best choice to replace Sam Oatman starting with January of 2013. “My proven record of aggressive prosecution and appropriate judgment on serious felony cases that impact victims and the public, has prepared me for the challenges that await the next District Attorney.” Todd and his wife Jennifer are both originally from San Antonio. He graduated summa cum laude from Texas Lutheran College (in Seguin) in 1991 with a double major in Political Science and Economics, worked for the Social Security Administration for 3 years and then attended the University of Texas School of Law, in Austin obtaining his law degree in May of 1997. Before moving to Burnet County to serve as an Assistant District Attorney under Oatman, Todd began his prosecuting career as an A.D.A. in 1997 in Brownsville, Texas (Cameron County) which has a population in excess of 250,000. In addition to full-time local public service as an A.D.A. and state-wide as an Assistant Attorney General, since moving to the Hill Country Todd has served actively in the community in many roles including coaching soccer for many years in Marble Falls for the Granite County Youth Soccer Association, coaching elementary basketball for both Upwards Basketball and MFISD Young Guns programs, as well as actively serving as an Assistant Scout Master for Boy Scout Troop #284 and in various roles serving in local church congregations. Steven Todd will be celebrating Texas Independence Day, Friday, March 2, in San Saba at Pepperbelly’s on the square from 11:30am - 1pm. Come by to meet with, eat with and talk with Steven about his candidacy, his qualifications, his background, prosecution and public service record (he will even trade chili-recipes as he won a 2nd place ribbon at the recent Burnet County Republican candidate chili cook-off on 2-17-2012). He can be reached by email at StevenToddforDA@gmail.com or on his cell phone at (830) 385-4998. His campaign also has a Facebook page (search for and “like” “Steven Todd for District Attorney”). His website is www.Todd4da.com.