By SABRINA GARRETT
The Wilson Post

It was announced recently that District Attorney Tommy Thompson’s office ranked number one in the state for more than 12 months in child support collections. To celebrate this achievement, Thompson hosted a luncheon at Five Oaks on Thursday where the child support staff members were recognized.

Assistant Commissioner for the Child Support Program for the Department of Human Services in Tennessee, David Sanchez, attended the luncheon and commended Thompson and his office on a job well done. “You all have a lot to celebrate,” he said. Sanchez added that in the fiscal year that ended in Sept. 2012, $602 million was collected statewide – the highest collections ever for Tennessee.

Thompson, who was first named District Attorney in 1977, said being number one in collections is a “team game” – recognizing his staff, the Wilson County Sheriff’s Department, Sheriff Robert Bryant, Circuit Court Judge Clara Byrd and General Sessions Judge John Gwin at the luncheon before calling on longtime friend, Sam Hatcher, deliver the blessing.

Connie Massey, who has worked for Thompson for the past 38 years, said that she has heard “horror stories” from other District Attorney office about judges – but that they have not had a problem in Wilson County. “Our judges never complain and without them we wouldn’t have had the collections that we have. Judge Byrd’s office has always been very complementary of us,” she said.