PALO PINTO, Texas — District Attorney Jett Smith reported significant progress in his first months in office during a sit down interview with local media on Monday, highlighting case dispositions and office initiatives since taking the helm of the Palo Pinto County District Attorney’s Office in January.
Smith, who was sworn in on January 1st of this year but previously served as an assistant district attorney in Erath County from 2014 until December 2024, detailed efforts to address a backlog of felony cases that has been a priority for his administration.
“In the first 30 days that I was in office, we disposed of roughly 16% of the cases that are on our docket,” Smith said. “We’re not letting stuff go cheaply. I feel like it’s been a just process and good in results.”
Case Dispositions
According to Smith, his office has made considerable progress in case dispositions since January.
“From January 1st, when I took office, through March 19th, we have disposed of 86 cases by sending people either to the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which is what we think of as prison, or the State Jail Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice,” Smith stated.
He added that his office has “placed 12 cases on a type of probation” and handled seven additional cases where defendants “pleaded guilty and takes responsibility for that case” which is “considered in his punishment for another case.”
“That’s a total of 94 cases disposed by plea agreement since I’ve taken office,” Smith said.
Recent High-Profile Cases
Smith described two recent high-profile cases that were resolved just before trial. In one case involving Donnie Hamilton, charged with assault on a public servant, the defendant received an 18-year prison sentence after pleading guilty.
“The facts of that case were he was arrested for a DWI offense. Kicked and bit our police department officers in the field, causing injury,” Smith explained. “Once he was placed in the custody of the Palo Pinto County Jail, he then assaulted other members of our sheriff’s department within the jail.”
The Hamilton case moved quickly through the system, with just seven months from the initial offense to resolution. Smith noted the original offense occurred on August 10, 2024, with additional incidents occurring while Hamilton was in jail on December 20, 2024.
When asked why this case was expedited, Smith explained it took priority for specific reasons.
“Hamilton was a proven danger to our law enforcement, even while he was in jail,” Smith said. “The feeling from this office, coupled with the SO, because we did discuss it with him, was that he became a significant threat. And so that, coupled with him being in jail and costing our citizens money every day that he’s in there, that case did get moved up the docket and took priority.”
Smith added, “I also want to let law enforcement and our community know that issues of this nature do rank high among the priority list of this office.”
Smith noted that while he was ready for trial, the resolution served justice well. “When you get results like that, it’s in the interest of justice and our citizens to proceed,” he said.
Strengthening Law Enforcement Relationships
The DA emphasized his office’s renewed focus on strengthening relationships with law enforcement agencies throughout the county.
“We’ve welcomed law enforcement back into our office to work with us in building their cases from the ground up should they need legal advice or help or direction in drafting arrest and search warrants or other issues that they might encounter,” Smith said.
Victim Support Initiatives
His office has also implemented changes in how they interact with crime victims.
“If we get a fact scenario in this office that involves a victim whether a child or adult, we’re going to at least attempt to reach out to that victim prior to the case being indicted,” Smith explained.
Office Staff and Training
Smith’s office has not changed any staffing, keeping the same team in place from the previous DA that includes Assistant District Attorney Kason Mobley, Victims Advocate and Office Manager Adina Morris, Legal Assistant Shree Henderson, and Investigator Tom Seaton.
Smith highlighted that his investigator, Tom Seaton, has been certified as a trainer for ALERRT (Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training), allowing the office to provide specialized training for local law enforcement and schools in responding to active shooter situations.
“Our office, through our investigator, Tom, he has now been certified as a trainer for ALERRT and is able to outreach to our local law enforcement and our schools, to train them in that manner,” Smith said.
Looking Ahead
As Smith looks ahead, he emphasized his office’s commitment to fair but firm case resolutions.
“Over the course of time, we’re going to continue to work to make fair plea bargains as well as trial cases when needed to keep our docket down,” Smith concluded.
