Compiled by CRISTINA JANNEY/Hays Post
Name: Chris Lyon
Age: 45
Occupation: Trego County Attorney, WaKeeney City Proseuctor, Hays Municipal Prosecutor, also works for a state commission and a special prosecutor in other counties
Date passed the bar: 2014
Community involvement: Member VFW, Knight of Columbus and Kiwanis, but focusing on work and family now.
There has been questions about where you live. Can you please clear this up?
Lyon filed for county attorney in July 2019 using his address in Ellis County. After filing, one of Lyon's in-laws became ill. The family spent time at their second home in Kansas City to assist their family member. The family has since sold their home in Ellis County. They are looking for another home in Ellis County. Lyon said he has informed election officials of his changes of address.
Why did you choose to run for county attorney?
There was speculation that Tom Drees might run for judge. I felt I had the experience. I had been in the office for four years and had other experience too. I thought I could make some very positive changes.
What if any changes would you make at the county attorney's office?
I think we need to focus on efficiency. There are unfiled cases. There's a backlog, and I think that can be fixed through use of technology and communication.
Could you please expand on your answer? The current county attorney has repeatedly asked the Ellis County Commission for another prosector? Do you think the office needs one?
Tom Drees proposed a budget. It already had $78,000 taken out of it. My proposal is that we could easily take out another $100,000. First of all, I have health benefits through someone else, so that is $18,000 to $20,000 the county doesn't have to pay me. In addition, I'm going to get rid of at least one attorney. That's about $70,000 a year plus health benefits for them. In addition, I'm confident that I also can eliminate a staff position. You are looking at $33,000 to $36,000 plus their health benefits.
Do you think you would still be able to eliminate the backlog of cases if you cut staff?
If I would tell that police bring over reports, stacks of reports, and they sit on prosecutors desks and to file them, they pick up a dictation machine and start talking and they put down facts that are in the report and then someone else puts on headphones. They type it up and then they file it. The fact that you have prosecutors using dictation machines and county taxpayers are paying for that is in my opinion absurd. You can get this process streamlined. You can have affidavits started with law enforcement. All you have to do is train them on how to write. ... I have a great relationship with law enforcement, and I would be glad to take their suggestions or anyone who works a lot with that office I have a good relationship with the judges and the court clerks. It think we need to sit down and say, "Hey, we are going to make some changes, What do you recommend, because you are the ones that process a lot of this paperwork."
Has involvement of law enforcement in writing affidavits been done successfully in other counties?
I have seen one in other places, and I think Ellis County would be a great place to do it.
What do you think makes you more qualified than your opponent?
Experience. He's never been a prosecutor. I have. I've been a prosector since 2014. I have over a dozen criminal jury trials either first or second chair. I filed over 1,000 cases, argued motions and I've been a county attorney.
Will you continue in the other positions you hold if you are elected as Ellis County Attorney?
Probably not. There are some things that I am obviously going to have to cut back on. I will assess that after the primary.
Do you feel you have enough time to devote the county attorney position?
Yes, absolutely. That office has four full-time attorneys and five full-time staff. That system isn't working. I think I will have plenty of time to take care of the issues, and if I need more time, I'll make more time.
What do you believe are the causes of the high rates of minority incarceration? What would you do to eliminate racial or gender bias in the judicial system?
I can tell you the commission I'm involved in looks at this quite a bit. We look at prison population and we look at gender disparity in the criminal justice system. There are a lot of very smart people in the state and nation who are looking into that, so I don't have the answer. I hope it is addressed. I think it is something we all need to think about.
Is there anything you can do personally to address this issue?
As a county attorney, I prosecute crime. I don't investigate crime. I look at what law enforcement brings over and says we have a potential criminal act. I don't look at the color of someone's skin or their gender prior to prosecuting. Those are things that can be taken into account as well, but every case is different.
Have you ever been disciplined by the bar association?
No
Have you ever been arrested?
No
Have you ever been a victim of a crime?
Only minor things — many years ago, having property stolen. I have not been a victim of a person crime or something serious.
If so, how did it impact you (if at all) as an attorney?
No, I don't think it did. ... Every case is not the same. People find themselves in the criminal justice system and the are not bad people. Things happen. I am allowed to use my life experience and recognize that — that this is not a bad person, X happened and there is a way to help them get through this. Not just lock somebody up or have a conviction on their record.
Do you believe in mediation or restorative justice?
Sure. There is some of that in the system already. There's drug court. There's diversion. I was one of the founding members of the Ellis County Drug Court with Judge Braun and Tom Drees and I look forward to being a part of that again too.
Closing remarks
This is a big change for Ellis County, I got it. It is going to make a lot of people who work in the system, especially attorneys, nervous. I know that some of them are already not enthusiastic about me winning, but if Anderson wins, what changes are going to be made for the community? No one recently is talking about the community. They are talking about me that I want an empire. If that is the case, I wouldn't have gotten out of the race to take care of family. That idea started with Judge Braun when he was county attorney to consolidate the 23rd Judicial District into a DA district instead of having separate county attorneys. When I said that, it was tongue-in-cheek. People don't necessarily like change. I just don't know if Anderson is gong to make any changes. This is about victims, defendants and taxpayers.