County appoints assistant DA

By Jessica Coleman
Staff Writer
    Keith Weiser wears many hats. He is a husband, a father, a pet owner, and a beekeeper. He is also a 31-year veteran of the legal profession. He’s spent time as a prosecutor and as a defense attorney.
    Most recently, Weiser, a Victoria resident, has taken on the role of Jackson County Assistant District Attorney. After the election of former District Attorney Bobby Bell as District Judge, which led to the Appointment of Pam Guenther as District Attorney, the slot for A.D.A. was left open. After a discussion with Bell, and then one with Guenther, Weiser said the move just made sense to him.
    After speaking with Guenther, Weiser sat down with his wife, and did some calculations.
    Financially, the move seemed like a smart one, but that was far from the only reason for Weiser’s acceptance. The time seemed right, and Weiser said he was ready to move away from running his own practice, so he took the job.
    “It was 33 miles away, I come over here for court anyway, and I was tired of doing it myself,” he said.
    This will be the third time Weiser has been on the prosecutorial side of the law. Before he became a defense attorney, he was a prosecutor under former Victoria County District Attorney George Filley – twice.
    “I worked for George for nine years,” said Weiser, “I quit, because I wanted to go back to school. I got my MBA, and then got a call from George about two years later, asking if I wanted to come back. He had an opening and needed some help, It was getting to the end of my MBA, and I was doing a little bit of defense on the side, so I said ‘sure’ and I came back to his office.”
    Weiser feels that having defended and prosecuted before helps him understand both sides and makes him better at what he does.
    “I think you’re a better prosecutor if you have defended,” he said. “I think you’re a better defender if you’ve prosecuted.”
    Weiser got his start in 1985 with Filley, and, in his words he’s been “running ever since.”
    He also said he’s found Jackson County to be friendly and he is happy to be working here.