A series of leadership changes and personnel decisions continue to impact the Henry County Attorney’s Office following multiple resignations, a special election, and recent terminations.
Former Henry County Attorney Darin Stater resigned in February, just two weeks after Assistant County Attorney Blake Vierra stepped down. Those departures led to a special election for the vacant position, in which Assistant County Attorney Abbie Liechty faced challenger Becky Wilson. During the campaign, Wilson emphasized plans to restore the office to full staffing levels and identified prosecuting the county’s pending cases as the main priority. Wilson won the election and was sworn in as the Henry County Attorney on April 7th.
On April 13th, the Board approved the hiring of an outside, part-time attorney to assist with outstanding Freedom of Information Act requests, citing ongoing staffing shortages within the office. Also on April 13th, Liechty was served a notice of termination, effective immediately. That same day, the Henry County Board of Supervisors approved an employee separation agreement for Assistant County Attorney Steven Giebelhausen. Under the terms of the agreement, Giebelhausen will continue working through April 30th, while receiving salary, accrued vacation, and benefits through July 31st, totaling approximately $26,400.
In a statement posted to social media, Liechty said, “Serving the County has been a privilege, and I appreciate the opportunity to prosecute cases and appear in court.” She also announced her intention to run for Henry County Attorney in November, stating she looks forward to engaging with constituents and potentially continuing to serve the county.
KILJ’s efforts to obtain a comment from County Attorney Becky Wilson on the future staffing and operations of her office have been unsuccessful.