Kaufman Coping with Loss of Assistant DA

Area businesses say the Thursday murder is all anyone can talk or think about

Kaufman's got that quiet charm.  The type of place where people feel comfortable leaving an expensive package unguarded, like boxed electronics we saw Saturday next to a Fed Ex box on the sidewalk. 

But Thursday's murder of a man committed to Kaufman County's common good has taken some of that feeling away... at least for now.

"It's been crazy," said Renea Dodds of Lott's Cleaners, directly across the street from the County Courthouse.  "Every time customers come in they ask how things are going and if we knew him [Mark Hasse] and if he was a customer here.  He was.  He was in here two or three times a week and he was a really nice guy."

As of Friday, the reward for information leading to the arrest of suspects in the killing totaled $71,000.

At the Especially for You Tea Room on the square, owner Lori McWha takes car of her customers while taking what happened a couple of blocks away Thursday very hard.

"We're very sad because someone who did a great job for our community and for Dallas County also in the past has been gunned down for doing a job we all want somebody to do, to put bad guys in jail," said McWha.

"I'm scared for others that were in that same type of position he was in, helping do the same thing he was doing" said Renea Dodds.  "Are they going to come after them because they're going to continue his work?"

Lisa Blake was back to work at Yogurt in Motion Saturday.  A few yards from the courthouse, she can't believe how her community lost one of their good guys.  She's not deterred by the fact no one's been arrested yet.

"I'm sure they'll catch 'em," said Blake.  "I have no doubt Kaufman County will get 'em."

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