Hays County District Attorney’s Office’s New Administrator Position Approved

Hays County District Attorney’s office has requested permission to hire a new administrator for the office to help with the county’s growing backlog of evidence.

According to Hays County District Attorney, Wes Mau, the county has experienced an increased caseload of 7 percent from 2015 to 2016. Mau expects the caseload will only grow in the future.

The new suggested position at the district attorney’s office will be a temporary full-time position. The administrator role will be open from Feb. 16 to Sept. 30 and is expected to pay $18,000.

The county will use forfeiture funds to pay the new administrator. The district attorney’s office is estimated to be a month behind where Mau believes they should be.  

Mau said the backlog is caused by an increase of evidence for regular criminal cases and the several high-profile cases being processed in the county. The digital evidence for regular criminal cases has seen a rise with the number of police wearing body cameras.

The district attorney’s office has eight administrators currently employed and tasked with sifting through thousands of cases every year.

Mau hopes the new position will enable the office to catch up and provide prosecutors with cases for review within 30 days of the individual’s arrest.

The District Attorney’s Office’s new position has been submitted to the Hays County Commissioners’ court for approval.