JEFFERSON COUNTY, Texas — A longtime Jefferson County judge who courthouse employees say always strived to give back and contribute to the judicial branch in Jefferson County has died.
Funeral arrangements have been set.
A gathering of family and friends will be on Wednesday, October 23, at 5:00 p.m. at Broussard's Mortuary followed by a vigil at 6:30 p.m.
A mass of Christian burial will be held at St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica on Thursday, October 24, at 11:00 a.m.
Jefferson County senior criminal district judge Lawrence "Larry" Gist died around 3 a.m. Saturday morning after battling an illness, friends said.
Judge Larry Thorne, who presides over the 317th District Court, told 12News Judge Gist was a role model for him and others on the bench.
“He certainly was one of my heroes,” Judge Thorne said.
“He was always contributing in the form of serving on various state and local boards involving law enforcement and judiciary," he said. "He was well-loved and respected at the courthouse. He always did what he thought was fair."
Anyone who drives US 69 between Beaumont and Port Arthur will see a landmark named after the judge.
The Larry Gist State Jail is Texas’ first state jail. It began housing inmates in 1994 when state legislatures created a new state jail system to house low-level drug offenders in an effort to alleviate overcrowding.
He was also instrumental in the creation of Jefferson County’s Drug Impact Court. Judge Gist received the Judicial Lifetime Achievement Award in Fort Worth.
He was a certified specialist in Criminal Law by the State Bar of Texas Board of Legal Specialization, chair of the Judicial Advisory Council, past chair of the State Bar of Texas Criminal Justice Section, and a member of the American Probation and Parole Association, Texas Probation Association and Texas Corrections Association.
Judge Gist was 78.