(Photo credit: Shutterstock)
Travis County District Attorney Margaret Moore released statistics Wednesday that show her office has obtained a plea or finding of guilt in a total of 111 adult sexual assault cases since she took office in 2017.
“We take prosecutions for sexual assault very seriously in this office, and we do everything we can to remove these predators from society,” Moore said. She noted, under her leadership, the Office added prosecutorial resources by creating an Adult Sexual Assault Unit, saw an increase in the number of casesreceived from law enforcement, indicted more cases each year, and tried more cases to juries. In fact,earlier this year, Moore asked the Commissioners Court to fully fund a sex crimes unit in her budget submission making it a top priority of her Office for the upcoming fiscal year.
“It is imperative that the public know the truth. Those who spread false information regarding the prosecution of these cases by this Office only discourage survivors from coming forward,” she said. “I am saying to the survivors of these assaults: Please report. We in law enforcement will listen to you and provide counseling and support and a thorough investigation of the case.”
(Photo credit: Travis County District Attorney’s Office)
“Even though our cases were negatively impacted by the closure of the Austin Police Department DNA Lab in late 2016, causing delays and other problems, we still show a more aggressive prosecution record than in the years immediately prior to my administration,” Moore said.
2017 – To Present:
- In 2017, 37 cases resulted in a plea or finding of guilt, presenting a far more accurate picture than the number some critics have contended was prosecuted that year.
- There were six adult sexual assault jury trials from 2014-2016 and 17 adult sexual assault jury trials during Moore’s first 31 months in office.
- Adult sexual assault jury trials rose from 1.98{fbcf2a5c42fe71624047a18c73673849799bd5d53cdb5d8ca16f4833367ca63d} of all criminal jury trials in 2016 to 11.84{fbcf2a5c42fe71624047a18c73673849799bd5d53cdb5d8ca16f4833367ca63d} in 2018 and 13.46{fbcf2a5c42fe71624047a18c73673849799bd5d53cdb5d8ca16f4833367ca63d} so far this year.
