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“I grew up in a small town south of Wichita Falls called Scotland, Texas,” Stamey said. “I’m the youngest of eight, and I’ve always been close with my family. My parents instilled in us a strong work ethic, and that’s carried me through my career.”
Stamey, a graduate of Texas Tech School of Law, began her legal career at the Eastland Court of Appeals before moving on to prosecution roles in Ellis County and later Taylor County. Her decision to enter the legal field came early in life.
“I knew I wanted to be a lawyer when I was in junior high—and I knew I wanted to be a prosecutor,” she said. “The law still fascinates me. It’s always changing, and you’re always learning something new.”
Handling High-Stakes Cases
Stamey has prosecuted some of the region’s most sensitive and complex cases. One of the most notable was the trial of Jeffrey Forrest, a man convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child under 14.
“On the day of trial, he fled to Mexico,” Stamey recalled. “We had the help of the U.S. Marshals Office putting him on the most wanted list, and then we were able to get a tip and catch him in Mexico, and they were instrumental in getting him back. We were able to get him on the most wanted list, track him down, and bring him back.”
Stamey reflected on the outcome of the trial that ended in a life sentence and justice for multiple victims. “We tried that case. It was a sexual assault that was a delayed outcry, aggravated sexual assault with a child younger than 14 that had gone on for many, many years,” Stamey recalled. “There were actually five additional victims that we put on that case. He got a life sentence, and that was a real good victory, and had a lot of cooperation across the board.”
While high-profile cases attract more public scrutiny, Stamey said each case deserves equal diligence.
“An assault family violence case is as important to that victim just as a murder case is important to the victim and in that family,” she said. “I think that when you get one of those cases that we call high profile, that the community is invested in, you have to be a little more diligent in what you do and the transparency of that case, but you’re still going to prosecute the exact same way as you would any other case.”
Fentanyl and the Fight Against Drugs
Stamey also addressed the growing concern over fentanyl-related deaths in Taylor County. While no jury trials have occurred yet under the state’s new fentanyl murder statute, she said the office has several pending cases.
“We haven’t had any that have gone to a jury trial yet. To be able to prove that these are the drugs that were sold at that time, that they took, that caused the death, they have to work really hard at getting that, and it usually comes through their phone downloads and text messages, or social media, and that kind of thing. And so not a lot of those cases can be prosecuted if they can’t prove where they got those drugs from. But if, if we do, when we have that case, it’s a case where you want to give them justice for the fentanyl, for the death, but at the same time, you have a drug user as your victim, and sometimes we have to address that with the jury.”
When asked how she separates emotion from duty, especially in tragic cases, Stamey admitted it’s not always easy.
“Sometimes you can get really invested in a case, and it’s hard to separate yourself out from that, but most of the time you just do a case as you know, the law is the law and the facts are the facts, and present it to the jury and and you hope for the best,” Stamey said.
“I’ve always told victims, you know, I can’t guarantee you this verdict, but I’m going to, you know, I’m going to tell your story, I’m going to present it the best way I can. And so we’ve been really successful with that. And I’m proud of that, proud of my trial record.”
Leadership and Vision
Stamey credits current District Attorney James Hicks as a mentor who encouraged her to run.
“He’s really mentored me to take over when he’s done,” she said. “And so he’s really pushed me in that regard and to continue the work that he’s done in his office. So it’s not necessarily something that when I started, I thought that I would end up doing, but I really feel like I’ve come into that role, started out with being a misdemeanor chief, and then moved into the first assistant role. So I’ve learned a lot about leadership. And I actually thought that leadership kind of came a little more naturally to me than I thought, and so it’s been, it’s been a good ride, and he’s been a great mentor, and I’m excited to carry on what he started.”
If elected, Stamey identified three top priorities: restoring respect for law enforcement and prosecutors, modernizing the office with new technology like artificial intelligence, and addressing substance abuse at the root of many criminal cases.
“We are coming into some AI,” Stamey said. “The criminal justice system is always behind and and we have to catch up. I think that’s where we’re behind, and we need to play some catch-up.”
Reducing Recidivism and Public Outreach
Stamey acknowledged challenges like recidivism and overcrowded dockets, made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic and shortages in the defense bar—something now being addressed with the addition of a public defender’s office.
“We kind of got pushed back with COVID on the dockets. We are really doing better there,” said Stamey. “We had some issues with the defense bar and not having enough attorneys, and now we have the public defender’s office, so we’re playing a little bit of catch-up in regards to that. But, you know, we work hard to resolve our cases the best way we can. We’ve got to; there are cases that have to be tried, and so we just have to get in there and try them, and then there are cases that maybe don’t need to be tried, and we’re going to resolve those. But as far as recidivism, we’ve got to address the drug issue.”
Stamey believes drug addiction is a major driver of repeat offenses.
“It changes from what we had, you know, cocaine, and then you had methamphetamine, and now you’ve got the fentanyl and the drugs, the pills, and so it’s changing,” said Stamey. “I don’t know, that’s something we can address. We can get them the rehab that they need, but it’s also going to be the people who want to make their change in their life.”
Building Trust in the System
To maintain and improve public trust, Stamey emphasized transparency and education.
“I think education is important. And through jury service, you know, people come and this is your it next to voting,” said Stamey. “Jury service is your greatest public service you can do. And so I think it’s important for as a community, and we have really good turnouts, but you know, that’s something that I would promote transparency, working with, with the media, with you guys, and telling you, informing you of what is happening in each of the cases that the public is concerned about, I think is important and that we have that I think it will continue that trust that We have in this community
Defining Justice
When asked to define justice in a single sentence, Stamey replied:
“I think you have to ensure the rights of each party in a case, the defendant as well as the victim, and the state to uphold the rule of the law.
Stamey added: “It’s not always about prison time. Sometimes it’s about finding the best resolution. In a murder case, for instance, both families are devastated, and their lives have changed, and they’ll never come back.”
Stamey is currently unopposed in the race for Taylor County district attorney. The primary election is set for March 2026, with the general election to follow in November.
Erin Stamey is running in the upcoming election to serve as Taylor County’s next criminal district attorney. For more interviews like this, tune in on Sundays on Big Country Politics at 6:30 am on KTAB.
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