GREGG COUNTY — Veteran Smith County prosecutor April Sikes is joining the Gregg County DA's Office on January 1, 2019 as the First Assistant to newly elected Criminal District Attorney Tom Watson.
Sikes announced her intentions on Thursday.
According to a release, Watson got the seat from 10-year incumbent Gregg County District Attorney Carl Dorrough in another primary back in March 2018.
Watson, will be sworn into office January 1, 2019 and said, “I will be proud to have April as a member of my team. Her character, passion, experience, and record of public service will well serve the office of District Attorney and the citizens of Gregg County.”
Sikes has served in the Smith County District Attorney’s office for over 15 years.
In her new position, Sikes is responsible for the successful prosecution of all Smith County cases, trying the capital-murder death-penalty cases, managing the day-to-day operations of the office, and the hiring and supervision of 48 employees.
Her duties also include setting and controlling the operating budget, resolving personnel issues, monitoring compliance within several State and Federal funds and agencies, and teaching within the field.
As a prosecutor, Sikes has successfully managed thousands of cases, including more than forty-five murder cases, twenty-five capital murder cases, and six death penalty cases in which the death sentence was sought and imposed.
Sikes' career in law began in 1989, in her hometown of Corsicana. Then, she was an Assistant Criminal District Attorney for Navarro County.
Eight years later, she was elected Corsicana’s Municipal Judge, and in 2001, while in private practice, Sikes was elected Mayor of Corsicana.
In 2003, missing prosecution, Sikes became the Crimes Against Children Prosecutor in the Smith County Criminal District Attorney’s Office.
Over time, Sikes served the Smith County Criminal District Attorney’s Office as the First Chair Felony Prosecutor for the 114th Judicial District Court; the Chief Felony Prosecutor for the Smith County D.A.’s Office; and finally, the First Assistant.
