WINNFIELD — Former Winnfield City Judge Keith Gates addressed the Winnfield Kiwanis Club on Tuesday, detailing his candidacy for District Attorney of Winn Parish. Speaking to a room of civic leaders and fellow club members, Gates framed his campaign around a straightforward pledge: “Tough on crime, careful with your tax dollars.”
Gates, who resigned from the city bench earlier this year in compliance with Louisiana judicial rules to seek non-judicial office, outlined his background rooted in North Louisiana. Raised in nearby Goldonna, Gates graduated from Northwestern State University in 2004 before earning two law degrees from LSU Law Center in 2007. His legal career includes clerking for Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Jeffrey Victory, handling civil and criminal litigation, co-founding a Washington, D.C.-based government oversight firm, and serving as Winnfield City Prosecutor from 2013 until his election to the bench in 2020.
Addressing local safety, Gates pointed to 2024 crime figures showing Winnfield reported 50 violent crimes—a per-capita rate roughly double the state average and triple the national rate. He stressed that study after study confirms a small group of repeat offenders is responsible for the vast majority of local infractions.
“You don’t have a parish full of hardened criminals; you have a few individuals committing the vast majority of crimes,”
Gates told the club. With Winn Parish scheduled for only seven jury trial weeks next year, he emphasized that a district attorney cannot try every case and must be ruthlessly strategic. Gates pledged to focus trial dockets heavily on violent offenders and habitual felons to secure convictions and strengthen the office’s leverage in plea negotiations, while supporting diversion and treatment programs for non-violent, first-time drug offenders. He also noted he plans to personally try cases in the courtroom.
On the fiscal side, Gates commended retiring District Attorney Chris Nevils for restoring administrative discipline and paying down past debts. However, looking at the office’s roughly $1.08 million budget, Gates noted its current unrestricted cash reserve sits around $23,000. He established a campaign goal to build that emergency cushion north of $100,000 during his first term to ensure smooth operations if state grants or fine revenues face delays.
Gates also proposed shifting the department toward a “vertical prosecution” system, having individual Assistant District Attorneys manage assigned cases from initial filing straight through appeal.
The Kiwanis Club plans to host fellow DA candidate Jacque Derr next week.