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October 6, 2009

Looking to move up the legal ladder

Assistant DA seeks new post

By Robby Robertson Staff Writer

Henderson County Assistant District Attorney Chris Martin has announced he will seek the job of District Attorney of Van Zandt County.

“I have been a prosecutor ever since I graduated from law school and passed the bar,” Martin said from his office at the Henderson County Judicial Center. “I grew up in that county, and still live there. I look forward to serving the people of the county if I am elected.”

Martin, 31, graduated from Canton High School in 1996. From there, he attended Kilgore College, and then the University of Texas at Arlington where he received a bachelors degree in art and history.

After graduation, he and his wife Cristie, moved back to Van Zandt County, while he worked in Addison, and attended law school at night.

When he got laid off from that job is when he went to work for the DA’s office in Canton.

“My wife was attending a Praying Wife’s class at our church, and someone there knew of a position that was opening,” Martin said.

While in law school Martin worked in the hot-check department of the office. He was in charge of collecting all the hot checks in the county.

Once he graduated law school in the Fall of 2005, District Attorney Leslie Dixon held a position for him until he passed his bar exam in May.

“That is when I started trying cases for the DA’s office over there,” he said. I handled misdemeanor cases and CPS cases at that time, and then later started working with felony cases.”

In February of 2006, Dixon had a tragedy in her family that kept her out of the office for a long period of time. That’s when Martin took the reigns, and began trying felony cases as lead prosecutor.

“There were three big cases that I tried while I was there,” Martin said. “There were two murders and an intoxicated manslaughter, and I won all three of them.”

Martin said his reason for leaving the Van Zandt County DA’s office for Henderson County was because of money.

“When Scott (McKee) saw me work when I went up against him when he was in private practice, he liked what he saw, I guess,” Martin said. “He came to me, and offered me a job once he got elected, and it was $15,000 more a year than I was making. I had a lot of college loans I was paying, and I wanted the best for my family, as most people do.”

Martin said he thinks his experience and knowledge of working in both counties will help him in knocking out crime in Van Zandt County.

“I know that area very well,” he said. “I want people to know if they commit a crime over there, they will be punished. I believe I will work very well with law enforcement in bringing drugs and corruption to a stop.”

Martin is running on the Republican ticket, as are his opponents. Mark Watson of Dallas and Ed Brownley of Denton are running for the same seat.

“I don’t know either one of those gentlemen, but I do know they are not from Van Zandt County,” he said. “I have lived there all my life, and I know the people of that county.­­­

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