Child Protection Court?

355th District Judge Ralph Walton said this week that the creation of a district-wide Child Protection Court would ease the caseload in his court and buy the county time in creating a second district court or county court-at-law.

The previous Commissioners Court, which included three members who departed at the end of last year, indicated that the need for a new court, most likely a district court, is on the horizon and will be a costly proposition.

Costs will include salaries for a judge, office staff and a court reporter, as well as likely having to add on to the Hood County Justice Center.

The county faces other costly burdens as well that will ultimately be borne by taxpayers, such as the building of a new jail or the expansion of the current one.

Walton, in the first year of what he said will be his final four-year term, said that with a Child Protection Court, a single judge would handle Child Protective Services (CPS) cases for multiple counties.

He indicated that in addition to Hood County, the district would likely include Johnson, Somervell, Erath, Hill, Bosque, Eastland and Palo Pinto counties.

“That would alleviate some of the problem,” Walton said, referring to his court’s caseload which involves civil, criminal and family law matters as well as a heavy number of CPS hearings.

The number of cases is increasing as the county grows, he said.

Walton said that the Child Protection Court judge’s “principal office” would likely be in Johnson County “because it’s the largest,” and that he or she would travel from county to county.

He said if such a court is created, a request would probably be made to the Hood County Commissioners Court to allow the judge to use the Jury Selection Room at the Justice Center to hear the cases.

Walton said that if a district Child Protection Court is not created, he predicts that the county will need a second district court within the next 6-8 years.

kcruz@hcnews.com | 817-573-7066, ext. 258