Feb 16, 2011 By Jennifer Harr 3 min read

Fayette County’s acting district attorney Jack R. Heneks Jr. said Tuesday he intends to run for the chief prosecutor’s seat.

Heneks, a veteran prosecutor who has been in the office since 1996, spent the bulk of that time handling crimes related to child abuse. He spent the last year as acting district attorney after Nancy D. Vernon was elected judge in the Court of Common Pleas.

“My top priority as district attorney has been working to ensure the citizens of Fayette County live in a safe, vibrant community,” said Heneks, a Democrat. “Leading the war on crime is a serious responsibility, and I would be honored to continue to serve the people as our county’s lead prosecutor.”

In the nearly 15 continuous years in the office, Heneks said he has worked hard to successfully prosecute child abuse cases.

“I’m most proud of the fact that we were able to prosecute the numerous child abuse cases that we’ve had. We’ve been able to develop a comprehensive approach to doing that using (Fayette County) Children and Youth Services, police, the Crime Victims’ Center and medical professionals,” he said.

Heneks said that multi-disciplinary approach has brought the entities together to streamline investigations and prosecutions in those cases where the victims are young and oftentimes vulnerable.

Among those cases was the prosecution of Franklin Weimer, who killed his former girlfriend’s 2-year-old son, Heneks said. Weimer is currently serving 22 1/2 to 45 years in prison for third-degree murder and endangering the welfare of children.

With Heneks now serving as chief prosecutor, he said Assistant District Attorney Linda Cordaro has taken over child abuse prosecutions.

“We’ve been able to seamlessly keep that team going,” he said.

Heneks also noted that while he has been district attorney, there have been several large drug busts conducted by the county’s drug task force. As district attorney, he administers the task force.

“We’re certainly trying to do as much as we can in that field. We’re using forfeited funds we’re obtaining as part of those arrests and investigations to continue to fund our efforts,” Heneks said.

He also noted that in the late 1990s, he ran a special grand jury that investigated allegations of voter fraud in Fayette County.

The investigation led to the arrests of three people, including former U.S. Rep. Austin J. Murphy.

“I’m proud of that, because since that time there’s been a noticeable improvement in the electoral process. There have not been the same kind of allegations made,” he said.

“It is a DAs duty to secure justice on behalf of the victims of crime, their families and the citizens of Fayette County,” Heneks said. “If elected, I will continue be a fighter in the courtroom, dedicated to using my extensive experience to get criminals off our streets.”

Previously, Heneks maintained a private practice with the firms of Kalman & Heneks and Coldren & Adams, handling property transactions and family and business law.

Additionally, he worked as a public defender for seven years, four of which he was the first assistant in the office. Early in his career, he spent eight years with the state Senate, serving as counsel to the State Finance Committee, a legislative aide, clerk messenger for the Senate library and page.

He received his law degree from Temple University School of Law and a bachelor of arts degree in science from Syracuse University.

Heneks resides in South Union Township with his wife, Diana.

The couple has two daughters.