Post by WaTcHeR on Nov 6, 2006 13:43:38 GMT -5
11.06.2006 - TERRELL - Former Kaufman County District Attorney Louis "Bill" Conradt Jr. killed himself Sunday as police tried to serve an arrest warrant for soliciting sex with a minor, authorities said.
Police who entered Conradt's home when he refused to answer the door heard a shot and found Conradt fatally wounded with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at a Dallas hospital.
Murphy police Sgt. Snow Robertson said Conradt had solicited sex from a decoy posing online as a 13-year-old. Murphy police were attempting to serve a search warrant for his computer and the arrest warrant when Conradt shot himself.
The Dallas Morning News reported in its online editions Sunday that the sting that resulted in Conradt's arrest warrant was a joint operation between Perverted Justice, an Inernet watchdog group, and NBC's Dateline that lured men seeking sex with children to a house in Murphy.
Murphy police said Conradt had not gone to the house there, but they believed he would.
Robertson said there was nothing police could to do prevent Conradt's death.
"When somebody decides to do this, there is nothing you can do," he said.
Conradt had worked for the Kaufman County District Attorney's Office for more than two decades before giving up the position of district attorney to run an unsuccessful campaign for judge. He was chief felony assistant district attorney for Rockwell County.
Murphy Mayor Bret Bishop told the newspaper that he hopes Murphy won't be used again as a trap for child predators.
"We're going to do whatever we need to do to make sure this doesn't continue," he said. "I think it's a noble cause, but our police department is hired to serve and protect our citizens, and not to expose them to outside threats."
Police who entered Conradt's home when he refused to answer the door heard a shot and found Conradt fatally wounded with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at a Dallas hospital.
Murphy police Sgt. Snow Robertson said Conradt had solicited sex from a decoy posing online as a 13-year-old. Murphy police were attempting to serve a search warrant for his computer and the arrest warrant when Conradt shot himself.
The Dallas Morning News reported in its online editions Sunday that the sting that resulted in Conradt's arrest warrant was a joint operation between Perverted Justice, an Inernet watchdog group, and NBC's Dateline that lured men seeking sex with children to a house in Murphy.
Murphy police said Conradt had not gone to the house there, but they believed he would.
Robertson said there was nothing police could to do prevent Conradt's death.
"When somebody decides to do this, there is nothing you can do," he said.
Conradt had worked for the Kaufman County District Attorney's Office for more than two decades before giving up the position of district attorney to run an unsuccessful campaign for judge. He was chief felony assistant district attorney for Rockwell County.
Murphy Mayor Bret Bishop told the newspaper that he hopes Murphy won't be used again as a trap for child predators.
"We're going to do whatever we need to do to make sure this doesn't continue," he said. "I think it's a noble cause, but our police department is hired to serve and protect our citizens, and not to expose them to outside threats."