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Nash
District Attorney Alan Nash is seeking re-election for his fourth term and is running unopposed in the March 5 primary.
Nash has been D.A. since 2012, when he was first appointed by Governor Rick Perry, then stood for election that fall, and was re-elected in 2016 and 2020.
Nash wants to thank the people of Erath County for allowing him to have the best job in the legal field.
“I guess the first question an elected official should ask when deciding whether to seek another term is: ‘Am I effective, and will I be effective in the coming term?’ I believe we have been effective in carrying out the roles and duties of a felony prosecutor’s office, ensuring cases developed by law enforcement are handled and prosecuted in a conscientious, fair, and lawful way,” Nash said. “We strive to work with law enforcement, citizens, the judiciary,andourcolleagues in private practice with fairness and courteous professionalism. We do this while working for sentences that are just and aggressive in deterring and punishing crimes, while also balancing the need for rehabilitation of those caught up in drugs and first-time offenders when appropriate.”
Prior to becoming D.A., he was in private practice for 12 years as an associate, then partner, with Coan & Elliott, working in criminal defense, family law, civil litigation and writing wills and contracts.
Nash’s educational background includes graduating from Stephenville High School in 1992, graduating with his B.S. in Management from Tarleton State University in 1996, Texas Tech School of Law in 2000, and was licensed by the State Bar of Texas in 2000 after passing the bar exam.
He worked for Coan & Elliott law firm in Stephenville, starting as a summer intern in 1998 and then full-time attorney in 2000 until he became the D.A.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to hold this office since 2012, and I believe we have put together a group of staff, an investigator, and two prosecutors (including me) who make an effective team in prosecuting criminal cases brought to us by law enforcement,” Nash said.
The D.A. said on a personal level the job is rewarding, and he thoroughly enjoys working with law enforcement every day, presenting cases in the District Court every month, and works toward just and reasonable outcomes with his colleagues and collegial adversaries in the criminal justice system.
“It certainly helps that our county government provides us with the facilities and resources we need to do our jobs. Though it sounds a bit circular, I believe enjoying one’s work makes a person more effective, and being effective helps a person enjoy his work,” he said.
As for any goals Nash has for this term, he said, that though crime is a reality for any community, his goal as a prosecutor is to aggressively, yet conscientiously, deal with theft, violence, narcotics, and all types of crime in a way that enables local citizens to go to work, drop their children off at school, and then go home in the evenings without thinking about crime in their communities.
“My hope is that, even as we grow, the reality of crime in our county is under such control that when violence occurs, when a burglary occurs, it is surprising to folks living their daily lives. Like a strong immune system does for the body, I want our law enforcement and criminal justice system to identify threats to our community’s health and eradicate those threats, all the while our neighbors and friends are working, playing, and sleeping without fear in peace and safety,” he said.
Nash’s favorite aspect of the job is getting to work daily with police officers, deputies and trooper in preparing cases from early investigations through trial in the District Court.
“I’m still struck by how skilled and committed our law enforcement professionals are to protecting our homes, work places, and roadways. But I must confess part of my enjoyment of this aspect of the job is that law enforcement officers also tend to be interesting and enjoyable people,” he said.
Nash said his least favorite part of the job is hearing individual human beings sentenced to prison.
“It is necessary in many cases, and it is a core part of ensuring justice and protectingourcommunities--but to this day, even after 12 years as a prosecutor and 23 years as a lawyer---it is a sad and chastening moment when a person is punished for his or her crimes,” he said.
Nash is supported by his wife, Miranda (Boucher) Nash, another native of Erath County, who works as a internal medicine physician here in Stephenville, and they have two boys, ages 9 and 7, who have blessed him by giving his favorite job in life, that of being a dad.
While not preparing for trial or researching cases, Nash’s primary hobby is watching his boys play baseball and basketball.
“I also enjoy being the Nash household appliance repairman, plumber, sheetrock hole filler, and underachieving yard man,” he said.