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WAKEENEY — Christopher Lyon, an assistant in the Ellis County Attorney’s Office since 2014, has announced his candidacy for the office of Trego County Attorney.
Lyon received his Bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Dallas in Texas. In 2006, Lyon left the private sector to serve in the United States Army, where he was stationed at Fort Riley, for nearly three years. Lyon served two tours of duty in Iraq, the first in Baghdad (2008-09) with the First Infantry Division, and the second in Mosul (2010-11), with the First Cavalry Division. In Iraq, Lyon helped keep his fellow soldiers safe as the Non-Commissioned Officer in charge of company intelligence, which included patrolling and gathering information to generate threat assessments, counter-insurgency and risk briefings.
Lyon received numerous medals and accolades including two Army Commendation Medals and five Army Achievement Medals. Lyon decided to pursue public service through the law and took his law school admission test in Baghdad, Iraq. Lyon left the Army in 2011 to study law at Washburn University in Topeka.
While at Washburn, Lyon worked in the Washburn Law Clinic, which provides legal assistance to underprivileged citizens, and also for the Shawnee County District Attorney’s Office, where he assisted the Chief Deputy District Attorney on several high-profile murder cases. Lyon finished law school in two years and was hired as an Assistant Ellis County Attorney in November of 2013, starting in March of 2014. Lyon has seen firsthand the devastation that crime brings to rural and western Kansas. Lyon believes families deserve a safe community and their children deserve a safe environment to learn and grow up in.
After spending the last two years as a full-time prosecutor, Lyon said he understands the importance of the job.
“This position involves a lot of trust from the citizens of the county. As a County Attorney you have to deal with defendants and victims and always be fair. A person may be a defendant one day and a victim the next,” he said.
“The County Attorney’s job requires leadership and organization. As a veteran,” Lyon added. “I have led large and small offices and managed multiple tasks at once. I know how a County Attorney’s office works. My knowledge and leadership experience mean I will be able to lead the office effectively from Day One.” Using conservative principles to manage the office and budget, Lyon will prosecute with maximum effectiveness.
Lyon said many veterans need help when they return from combat to civilian life. Many times these veterans turn to drugs and alcohol to try to deal with the trauma they’ve experienced. Lyon said he will make sure veterans who get into these difficult situations get the specialized help they are entitled to.
Lyon and his wife, Emily, are members of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Hays, and have two children, Peter, two, and Helen, one. He is also a member of the Kiwanis Club, the VFW, and the Knights of Columbus.
Tony Potter currently serves as Trego County Attorney.