On April 1, the Mississippi Legislature passed two bills that allow the DeSoto County District Attorney’s Office to hire up to three additional Assistant District Attorneys and a new investigator. This represents the first time in 17 years that the State has funded new prosecutors for DeSoto County. On April 21, Gov. Tate Reeves signed these bills into law.
District Attorney Bob Morris stated, “When I met with Gov. Reeves about taking this job, I stressed two things that I wanted this office to focus on: prosecuting violent crime and making sure that this office was prepared to face the challenges of the future.”
Presently, DeSoto County has almost 190,000 registered voters and is one of the few Mississippi counties seeing consistent growth. In fact, since 2005, DeSoto County has grown by over 20 percent. This makes the 23rd Judicial District the third largest judicial district in the state.
“The 2005 date is important to note due to the fact that on the day I took office, DeSoto County had not received funding from the State of Mississippi to hire any new prosecutors since 2005; despite the population growing by almost 50,000 people,” Morris said. “That is why this announcement is so important to this community. The District Attorney’s Office needs to be prepared to fight crime in the courts today, but must also prepare for the future. Successful prosecution not only punishes those who have committed crimes, but likewise acts as a deterrent to those who consider doing so in the future.”
Morris went on to say that by aggressively prosecuting cases, his office can help lower crime rates and continue to make DeSoto County safe and prosperous.
“Effective policing, great schools, and great business opportunities make DeSoto County a place people want to live,” Morris said. “It is the job of the District Attorney’s Office to make sure it stays that way.”
Morris credited Gov. Reeves and Lt. Gov. Hosemann for being supportive of the office and helping with the passage of these bills. He also thanked state Sens. Dr. David Parker, Kevin Blackwell and Mike McLendon worked diligently to make sure these measures passed on the Senate side, and state Reps. Bill Kinkade, Dan Eubanks and Jeff Hale on the House side.
