Waco, TexasKWTX)- Mclennan County District Attorney Josh Tetens has made a number of significant changes to the District Attorney’s office since taking over as the county’s chief law enforcement officer just over a month ago.

With more tricks up his sleeve, Tetens is poised to pull off a pretty big coup by luring Ralph Strother, a former state district judge and retired criminal prosecutor, to come work for Tetens’ office.

It probably didn’t take much arm-twisting to get Strother back into the saddle. It was no secret that Strother was not ready to retire when he reached the statutory mandatory retirement age of 75 for state district judges.

Tetens said Strother will bring “deep knowledge and experience” to the office, adding that he is “thrilled to join our team.”

“His long court experience from prosecutor to judge makes him a valuable asset to any office and we are grateful to him for being with us,” Tetens said. “Judge Strother’s responsibilities will be broad and varied as he helps us deal with thousands of backlogs, from screening to the courtroom. We know that he is ready and willing to continue our mission to bring to justice the perpetrators who harm our community.

“Citizens want the law to be enforced so that crimes have consequences, and Judge Strother will continue to do just that as our new prosecutor,” Tetens said.

Former Texas Governor George W. Bush nominated Strother in January 1999 to replace the retiring Bill Logue. However, due to a change in the law, Strother, unlike Logue, was allowed to finish his term and retired at the age of 77 in December 2020. However, retirement was not his choice.

So, at 79, Strother said he looks forward to returning to the DA’s office with his wealth of experience, which includes 22 years as a state district judge, for a total of four years as a criminal prosecutor in McLennan County and the Judicial District. covering three Western districts. County of Texas, served as legal counsel for the Waco police, interim chancellor of the Texas State Technical College system, and operative for the Office of Defense Intelligence during the Vietnam War. In his spare time, he also served as president of the Waco School Board.

“After the election of Mr. Tetens, I had lawyer friends who suggested that I consider returning to work,” Strother said. “I thought about it for a while and asked Josh if there was anything they would like me to do that I would like to serve again. They offered me the position and I accepted and I am very grateful for this opportunity and I am grateful to Mr Tetens for trusting me and I hope I can contribute.”

Strother, who says he still runs 35 to 40 miles a week, is expected to start work on Wednesday, pending approval of his “re-employment” by the McLennan County Commissioners Court on Tuesday.

Strother was active as an Assistant District Attorney in McLennan County, prosecuting death row murder defendants John Albert Burks, Clydell Coleman, and Billy Wayne Coble, who have since been executed. He also targeted Ramiro Rubi Ibarra, whose appeals have kept him on death row since 1997.

As a judge for the 19th State District Court, Strother presided over a number of high-profile cases, including those accused of murdering Rowena Ledbetter, Darlene Gentry, and Matt Baker who murdered their spouses, a sexual assault case involving Baylor Fraternity President Jacob Anderson, and the murder case of Carlton Dotson , who killed his Baylor basketball teammate Patrick Dennehy in 2003.

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