Montgomery County Specialized Prosecutions Bureau Chief, Warren Diepraam, is leaving to become the first assistant for Elton Mathis, the Waller County District Attorney. Diepraam handled and supervised cases in the following areas: Civil Litigation, No Refusal, Vehicular Crimes, Internet Crimes Against Children, Domestic Violence, Child Sexual Assaults, Major Drug Offenders and Computer/White Collar Fraud.
Diepraam is a nationally recognized prosecutor who has a history of creative and innovative prosecution, which is why Ligon asked him to work in Montgomery County. Diepraam worked with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office for 20 years before coming to our county. The Harris County District Attorney at the time, Pat Lykos, stated that Diepraam is one of the most highly respected prosecutors in the country and his loss would be Montgomery County’s gain. In Montgomery County, Diepraam instituted several programs that won national recognition. While working with Ligon, the Montgomery County No Refusal Program was recognized as a national role model by multiple national agencies. Diepraam was awarded the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) 2013 National Public Service Award recipient. Diepraam was also recognized by the Governor’s Highway Safety Association for his lifesaving efforts. Ligon credits Diepraam’s programs for saving lives in Montgomery County and across the nation and states that Diepraam will be missed both as a prosecutor and as a friend.
Diepraam believes that the position in Waller County is an opportunity to advance his career and help that county take its special prosecutions “to the next level.” Diepraam believes that Ligon’s approach to crime fighting has made our county safer and more efficient and that he looks forward to bringing a victim and law enforcement oriented approach to Waller County. Diepraam indicates that the District Attorney in Waller County is farsighted and wants to take his office to the next level because that county is experiencing unprecedented growth much like this county. Diepraam stated: “I have had a tremendous experience working here with the great staff of the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office and District Attorney Brett Ligon. “I look forward to working with the District Attorney in Waller County, Elton Mathis, as well as the staff in that office. Waller County presents a unique opportunity to make our region a safer place and I look forward to continuing a great relationship with Montgomery and Fort Bend Counties. “For me, it’s furthering my career, my opportunity to help bring some of the programs that I started and we’ve developed here in Montgomery County and take them to other parts of southeast Texas. I’ve always viewed crime as regional, not localized. We need a regional response to it and this was a great opportunity to get out there.”
Ligon said that one of the drawbacks of hiring people who are the best in the field is that they are constantly being recruited to leadership roles elsewhere. “As a good friend, I am very happy for him, but as the District Attorney, I can’t thank Warren enough for the impact he has had on the safety of our community, and I know we will continue to work well with him in his new position,” Ligon stated. “Fortunately for us, he is a nationally recognized speaker, but he also has trained some of our younger attorneys in the office to the point that they can step up and continue the success of our No Refusal and Internet Crimes Against Children programs.” Ligon continued: “We will miss him, but I am comfortable that we have a good base established to continue our work.”
Assistant District Attorneys Tyler Dunman and Andrew James will take over for Diepraam in the interim.
“Warren has been a tremendous asset to Montgomery County,” Dunman said. “When he arrived in 2009, the county roadways and Lake Conroe were consistently ranked as the deadliest roadways in the state and even among the nation when you talk about fatal crashes, intoxication manslaughters and things of that nature. Brett Ligon made it a priority in reducing those numbers and getting a handle on boating and roadway safety, which is why he brought Warren to our county. So Warren immediately put together a team and an approach with his No Refusal program to being working to alleviate the amount of DWIs and alcohol related crashes.”
“We’ve seen over the last five years a significant decline in those numbers. We’re obviously going to continue with this aggressive approach to DWI enforcement. Of course, we hate to see Warren leave but we know we’ll be working with him as part of an area-wide campaign with other counties to combat the problem of DWIs and Brett Ligon is committed to that.”
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