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A new year brings a new district attorney for Orange County, as Krispen Walker was sworn in on New Year’s Day. 

Walker is an Orange native, replacing former district attorney John Kimbrough who did not seek reelection and has retired after 32 years as the district attorney for Orange County.  

Since 2001 she spent her time under the mentorship of Kimbrough starting as a juvenile case handler and eventually making her way to assistant district attorney. Walker met Kimbrough after moving back to Orange and discovering that they were neighbors.

She did not know at the time who Kimbrough was but became friends as the years went on, eventually leading to one important phone call.

“One day he called me out of the clear blue sky and said ‘Hey, I have an opening. Would you like to come and be a juvenile prosecutor?’” said Walker  

Walker never dreamed of being the DA originally going to law school because she sought to continue her education. She began her career in Lubbock after graduating from Texas Tech University School of Law. Her first job was for the Texas Attorney General’s Office with Child 

Protective Services Enforcement. 

A new year, a new district attorney 

Walker said she had “no hesitation” in running for district attorney when Kimbrough announced his retirement. 

Despite running unopposed Walker saw much support from the community, receiving text messages and calls from friends and the community.

“I had so many people just text me or call me or you know they call and they say ‘I voted for you today’ and it’s really a great feeling that the community has been so supportive,” said Walker  

Although there is support, some in the community and even close friends of Walker still don’t fully understand what a district attorney does.

In layman’s terms, a district attorney is the top lawyer in the county responsible for prosecuting crimes and representing the local government during these cases, but Walker believes that it’s more than that. 

She learned from Kimbrough that her job is not to convict, but to see justice is done. To Walker, this means supporting victims of crimes, arranging plea deals and helping people understand what the judicial process is going to look like.

Walker tells how she has created good relationships with defendants and victims of crimes during her years as a prosecutor, Sometimes seeing them on the street and telling her how her life has changed since. 

“It’s just so satisfying when you get to help somebody and that’s what you get to do, we get to do that,” said Walker. 

Challenges moving forward

In 2020 Walker stated that 75 to 80% of cases that came through the DA’s office were related to or stemming from the use of methamphetamine. Walker says unfortunately that this still is true. 

“We really want people, especially people on drugs, to rehabilitate, we want them to be good. We want them to be productive members of our community, that one of the biggest challenges we face is the drugs,” said Walker 

Recognizing the impact that drug-related issues have on the community, Walker also acknowledges that the perception of law enforcement among younger generations has shifted in recent years for various reasons.

“Every profession has its bad and its good,” said Walker.”They’re bad prosecutors and they’re bad police officers, but the majority are good and they want to do the right thing.”

Walker hopes that her continued efforts to provide fair trials and justice for the community will change this perception for the people of Orange. 

“It’s not about going about going out there and making a hashtag every time we get a guilty verdict,” said Walker. “It’s about seeing that justice is done. That’s what our job is.”

Walker joins Joey Jacobs, Rodney Townsend and Bobby Smith as new Orange County officials for 2025.