By SUE ELLEN ROSS – Staff Reporter

LAPLACE – St. John Parish could receive another assistant district attorney if House Bill 1413 passes the eyes of Senate members.

Authored by Rep. Joseph Toomy (R-Gretna), the bill has already been approved by the Louisiana House, just as it was last year.

But it failed in the Senate at that time, and funding was not forthcoming. This year, St. John Parish District Attorney John Crum again applied for the Omnibus Assistant District Attorney Bill, and it has gone to the Senate for discussion.

Crum will be very happy if it passes this time, as his office can use the extra help, he said.

“Where we are now, is with a good volume of felony cases to go to trial,” said Crum. “We need more people able to prepare for these cases.”

Six state-funded assistant district attorneys now work in his office, with another four otherwise funded.

House Bill 1413 would add 25 new assistant district attorneys statewide at an approximate cost of $760,000.

One of those will go to St. John Parish. Other nearby communities would also benefit, including St. Tammany-Washington Parish would receive one assistant district attorney; and Jefferson Parish would receive three. The remaining additions would be hired throughout Louisiana.