Meet the Candidates: Prosecuting Attorney and Associate Circuit Judge

Editor’s Note: Incumbents and candidates for county offices were contacted and asked to submit a short article regarding their attributes and campaign. This week, these unopposed candidates will be on the Republican primary ballot on Tuesday, August 4, and on the ballot again in November. Current Texas County Prosecuting Attorney Parke Stevens is running for Texas County Associate Judge. Jacob Smith is running for Stevens’ current position as Texas County Prosecuting Attorney.

Texas County Associate Judge

Parke Stevens Jr. is a lifelong Missourian, Marine, attorney, prosecutor, husband, father, and dedicated public servant whose career has been defined by service to others. Raised on a cattle ranch in Huggins, Missouri, Parke learned early the values of hard work, integrity, personal responsibility, and faith in community. He graduated from Houston High School in 2003, carrying those small-town values with him throughout his military and legal career.

Following high school, Parke answered the call to serve his country by joining the United States Marine Corps. Over the course of 23 years of military service, he has served around the world, including combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as operational deployments throughout South America, Africa and Europe. His military career has instilled in him disciplined leadership, sound decision-making under pressure, and an unwavering commitment to duty—qualities that continue to guide him every day.

Committed to education and professional excellence, Parke earned his undergraduate degree from Northwest Missouri State University before graduating with honors from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law. He returned home to put that education to work serving the people and communities that helped shape him.

For the past 12 years, Parke has proudly served as the Texas County Prosecuting Attorney. During that time, he has worked tirelessly to seek justice, uphold the rule of law, protect victims, and promote public safety. His approach has always been guided by fairness, integrity, and the belief that every person deserves equal treatment under the law.

Outside the courtroom, Parke is a devoted husband to his wife, Erica, and a proud father of three wonderful children. Family remains at the center of everything he does, and he is grateful to call Texas County home.

Today, Parke Stevens Jr. is honored to be a candidate for Texas County Associate Judge. He believes the courtroom should be a place where every individual is treated with dignity, respect and impartiality. Drawing on decades of military leadership, legal experience, and public service, he is prepared to continue serving the citizens of Texas County with the same commitment to justice, integrity, and accountability that has defined his entire career. Serving the community that raised him is not simply a profession—it is a privilege and a lifelong calling.

Texas County Prosecuting Attorney

My name is Jacob Smith, and I am running for Texas County Prosecuting Attorney. I have been an assistant prosecutor for Texas County since January 2025 and maintain a civil law practice in Houston. I am a judge advocate (JAG) officer in the Army National Guard and have served for over 15 years.

As an assistant prosecutor, I have handled felony and misdemeanor jury trials, numerous bench trials, and worked closely with law enforcement officials to charge and prosecute a wide variety of criminal offenses.

I have maintained a broad law practice since 2017, including areas of real estate, business law, foreclosure, evictions, family law, estate planning, probate, municipal law, criminal defense, and civil litigation.

I began my military career in 2010 as an enlisted truck driver (88M) and completed my advanced individual training at Fort Leonard Wood. After graduating law school at the University of Illinois, I commissioned as a JAG officer in 2018. In that capacity, I have served as a trial counsel, defense counsel, brigade judge advocate, and deployed to Ukraine in 2020.

My wife and I moved to Missouri four years ago to enjoy a different pace of life and raise our children in a place that prioritizes freedom, public safety and the rule of law. We moved here from a place where violent crime was far too common, and criminals were not held responsible for creating victims in the community. That experience drives my motivation as a prosecutor. I want to be a part of ensuring that our community, the community our children grow up in, holds criminals accountable and is a place where criminals don’t want to be.

I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as Texas County Prosecuting Attorney, and I hope to earn your support.