Clark County Assistant District Attorney Retires After 33 Years
Friday, March 6th, 2015 -- 11:02 AM
-Today is the last day of Clark County's Assistant District Attorney Richard Lewis after 33 years.Mr. Lewis talked about the start of his career.
He said, "I grew up in Antigo, Wisconsin. I graduated from high school in Antigo in 1970 which now makes me 63-years-old. I graduate from my under grad in 1975, I was on the 5 year plan. I graduated from UW-Madison in Chemistry and Physics. I went to law school, but I actually took a year off in between under grad and law school and worked. And then I went to law school starting in '75 and graduated from law school in '78. I was in the Peace Corps from '79 through '81 in Kenya. And then in 1982 I started here and I've been here for 33 years. Darwin Zwieg hired me and I worked with him almost all of those 33 years, I guess, 31 of them and the last 2 with Lyndsey. So, I've only worked under the two DA's. I've worked under 3 different judges."
He also talked about what he's enjoyed being the county's ADA.
"Being an assistant DA is always a good place for a young lawyer to start," he said. "You get some trial experience, so that's what I did. I didn't necessarily intended to stay here all that time, but we went from being county employees to state employees in 1990. That was under Governor Thompson, he signed that bill. The goal was to create a core of experienced prosecutors, so I just stayed with it."
"I grew up in Antigo, which is a rural small town, and so is this. It was a good fit for me. I like living here. It's comparable to where I grew up. I've enjoyed it here. It sounds like a cliche, but it really has been a privilege to be able to serve the people of Clark County here. I've respected all the decisions all the jurors have made. I think Clark County jurors are very good jurors. They're good, hard working, honest people for the most part. I've enjoyed it. I have a real appreciation for what law enforcement goes through these days with all the safety issues. But, I've just enjoyed it. Its been a good job and a good life here."
Mr. Lewis said he doesn't have any major plans right away, but he's looking forward to relaxing, hunting, fishing and golfing. He's enjoyed working here and believes it's a great place to live.
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