JOHN R. ROACH
CRIMINAL DISTRICT ATTORNEY
COLLIN COUNTY COURTHOUSE
210 S. McDONALD, SUITE 324
McKINNEY, TEXAS 75069

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Leigh Hornsby, 972-548-4772

February 12, 2004

Collin County District Attorney opens Cold Case/Fugitive Unit

(McKinney, TX) -- District Attorney John Roach has announced the creation of a Cold Case/Fugitive Unit within his office.

The unit performs two distinct functions. The first is the preparation for prosecution of murder cases that are unsolved. In less than a year, the District Attorney’s office has obtained six indictments in murders that were committed before 1990.

“We don’t want anyone in Collin County thinking they can get away with murder,” says Roach. “The case is not over until these persons are prosecuted.”

The second category involves the apprehension of fugitives. These cases involve persons against whom criminal cases were filed, an indictment was obtained or an arrest warrant was issued but who are not in custody for the offense. There are more than 1,300 felony cases pending in the district courts in Collin County where the defendant remains unapprehended.

“Over 55-percent of the felony cases pending in Collin County district courts are unapprehended cases,” says Roach. “We’ve already reviewed the misdemeanor cases and determined that some of the cases have been pending for 20 years. We are also in the process of reviewing felony cases.”

The Cold Case/Fugitive Unit is comprised of 10 volunteers from the District Attorney’s office who will participate in the activities of the unit in addition to their regularly assigned responsibilities. In all, 41 employees of the DA’s office applied for the project.

The District Attorney’s office is working cooperatively with local law enforcement agencies to initiate this effort.

“I strongly believe that effective law enforcement requires not only discovering who committed a crime, but also that person’s arrest and prosecution,” says Roach. “The job is not done until justice is done.”

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