Inman running for re-election as DA

WELLINGTON – Luke Inman last week announced his candidacy for re-election for the 100th Judicial District Attorney, which he has held since April 2008.

For the last 11 years, Inman has prosecuted felony cases in Carson, Childress, Collingsworth, Donley and Hall Counties. In addition to the massive felony docket moved by his office, he litigates numerous civil forfeiture cases stemming from felony arrests.

Per capita, more felonies are prosecuted by Iman’s team than most other jurisdictions across the state. Inman prides this success on a great team, who works with fantastic law enforcement and probation officers.

“Our success is a direct result of hard work, selflessness and determination to see justice be done in every case,” said Inman, who graduated from Childress High School in 1998. “We are so fortunate to be able to live and work and raise a family close to where we grew up here in the 100th Judicial District.”

A Wellington resident, Inman graduated from West Texas A&M University in 2001, where he played football and met his wife Amy (Chauveaux) Inman.

Inman attended graduate school at Texas A&M University – Kingsville and finished his football eligibility winning the Lone Star Conference Championship. The next year, he attended Texas Tech School of Law and graduated in 2005.

After a brief stint in Pago Pago, American Samoa as a civil attorney focusing on maritime law, the Inmans moved back to Amy’s hometown of Wellington in 2006, where the couple are raising their three children. Inman practiced in Wellington and Childress before becoming District Attorney after his predecessor Stuart Messer became the 100th Judicial District Judge.

Inman was the sole felony prosecutor until June 2017, when Harley Caudle from Clarendon became the district’s first full-time assistant.

“By gaining an additional prosecutor, our focus on the criminal contingent increased,” Inman said. “We have amassed larger and stronger sentences with this increased manpower, which keeps us safer for years to come. We’ve created an awesome team.”

Office Administrator Natasha Mixon and Crime Victims’ Coordinator Hattie Sanderson, both from Wellington, have worked with Inman since the beginning. In 2010, Danny Dawson came on board as Chief Investigator of the Traffic Enforcement Division and long-time DPS Sergeant from Clarendon Richard Gribble became Investigator and the liaison with law enforcement agencies.

In 2011, Nandy Chandler from Wellington became an assistant administrator. Coy Teichelman from Childress recently joined the team as Traffic Enforcement Investigator, cracking down on drugs and US currency derived from the illegal narcotics trade.
Inman said his team is considered small, even though their caseload surpasses most districts across the Panhandle.

“The most impressive part of this team is our reputation for obtaining large sentences against offenders,” Inman explained. “Our goal is being able to rid the local communities of evil wrongdoers and protect everyone, especially our younger generation.”

Inman said he likes using drug traffickers’ property and money to support local needs, taking that tax burden away from citizens. Each year, Inman uses hundreds of thousands of forfeited property and money from drug dealers to protect law enforcement and better equip them.

He is also known for assessing staunch fines against the criminal contingent, which brings in millions of dollars each year. Inman’s office stays busy moving a myriad of cases from jury trials to revocations to civil forfeiture actions.

“There is so much behind the scenes our office does that is never known,” Inman said. “But the benefits are immense – our success rate in the courtroom and the war on crime we’re fighting. We are pro law enforcement and pro seizure of criminals’ assets. At the end of the day, we’re known for our reputation of getting tough sentences against wrongdoers.”