By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula
There’s a good chance that many of you already know Perry Thomas, Attorney at Law, who is bringing his 35 years of experience in the legal profession to his new position as district attorney for Blanco, Llano, Burnet and San Saba counties. The News reached out to Thomas to find out what folks can expect from their new DA, who will take the reins from Wiley B. “Sonny” McAfee on January 1. McAfee has served as district attorney for the 33rd and 424th judicial districts since being elected in 2012 and taking office in 2013. He did not seek reelection this year.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Q: Many folks already know you, but please introduce yourself to those who don’t.
A: I’m a native Texan: I was born in Beaumont and I grew up in Orange County. The only time I left Texas was when I went to law school at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. As much as I liked living in Arkansas, I knew I wanted to come back to Texas, my home.
Q: Why did you decide to become a lawyer?
A: My undergraduate degree is in criminal justice, so I knew I wanted to be involved in law enforcement. But I didn’t know exactly what I was going to do with my degree until I was doing a summer internship that required me to work within the criminal justice system. My internship happened to be at the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, and I spent the summer watching prosecutors try cases and I thought, ‘That’s what I want to do!’ As soon as the internship ended, I started applying to law schools.
Q: Tell me about your 35-year career as an attorney.
A: I began my legal career in Jefferson County at the district attorney’s office and I ended up working in that office for a little more than 24 years. In that time, I tried just about every type of case possible, from death penalty cases all the way down to misdemeanor thefts and possession of marijuana. Then, I moved out here and became Sonny’s First Assistant District Attorney. I worked under him for a little over four years.
For the last five years, I’ve been in private practice as a defense attorney. I thought I knew a lot about criminal law until I moved to the defense side. Now, I’ve been able to see the law through both sides and I hope that experience will help me.
Throughout my career, I’ve been approached by attorneys on both sides of the criminal justice system who ask questions like, ‘Perry, how should I handle this? What’s the law on this?’ I always give the best advice I can, even if I’m on the opposite side. It’s my goal to see that justice is done appropriately.
Q: What can residents of Blanco, Llano, Burnet, and San Saba counties expect from you as the district attorney?
A: I’ve heard from many people and have observed myself the drug problem we have in this district. That’s my first concern. Drugs have terrible effects on our families, and our families are so negatively impacted by them. We’re going to emphasize the prosecution of drug laws, particularly of people who are dealers or distributors. I intend to work with law enforcement agencies in order to coordinate our efforts. By enforcing drug laws, we hope that also will reduce the amount of violent and property crime.
I’m also concerned about people who commit violent crimes, particularly when harm is done to children.
Q: What kinds of challenges do you expect to face as district attorney?
A: It’s an office that always will come with challenges, especially because we’re dealing with people who have been victims of crime. It can be difficult to try to help them but that’s why we’re in this business. We want to help keep this community safe. Everyone in the district attorney’s office cares about people.