VIENNA — Anthony (Tony) Skouby, 55, of High Gate, is running for reelection as prosecuting attorney to “protect the community and seek justice” for another four years.

Skouby has campaigned for the Aug. 4 Republican primary election by explaining his 27 years of litigation experience. He is running against challenger Kathleen (Katy) Slone for the seat.

Growing up in Phelps and Maries counties, Skouby attended St. James High School. In 1994, he earned his Bachelor of Arts in communications and public law from Southwest Missouri State University (now Missouri State University) in Springfield.

Skouby graduated law school at Oklahoma City University in May 1998, and Oct. 22, 1998, he received his license to practice law.

He started his career as a legal aid for Meramec Area Legal Aid and later Legal Services of Southern Missouri. Afterwards, he owned a legal practice for about 20 years until 2019 when he became the county prosecutor.

He has also previously served as the Belle Municipal Court judge for 12 years, is the current Belle and Vienna prosecutor, a former judge in St. James for 23 years and a former judge in Newburg for four or five years.

Skouby has two grown sons, three grandchildren and one great-grandchild, and he has been with his partner Lesley Hutson for 18 years.

He believes the job is to protect the community by enforcing the laws. While teachers, parents and clergy are supposed to instruct children to follow rules and that actions have consequences, Skouby said that many believe that influence has declined. So he is the one to step in.

“But when all that fails, when that hasn’t been successful, I’m the one responsible for holding criminal defendants accountable and for teaching them that you can’t break the laws,” he said.

For the past 7.5 years, Skouby said that he has done an “excellent” job fighting crimes, and he is proud of not being a “catch and release county.” Because the county doesn’t have an assistant prosecutor, he has not had a day off because he is always on call.

Skouby recalled being on vacation with parents in Florida when the sheriff’s office became involved in a drug case. He had to be available because Missouri Revised State Statute 544.170 requires that anyone arrested for a crime must be released within 24 hours unless charges are filed.

“When the phone rings, I have to pick it up and give that technical support and advice, and file charges within 24 hours,” he said. “We catch you. We put you in jail. You got to wait to see the judge.”

Skouby said that his job is to rehabilitate defendants with treatment programs but that the community must also be protected from offenders, sometimes resulting in prison. He also said that it is up to defendants to determine if they want to help.

“Because you can’t make them do anything if they don’t want to, and if that’s the case, then I have a solution for you — locked up,” he said.

Skouby responded to Slone mentioning complaints about how he has handled cases. However, she declined to mention specific cases.

He believes that having high standards is going to make people upset, and as an office holder, he is discouraged from responding to angry Facebook comments of “their version.”

Slone also said that there is room for improvement, for harsher penalties for repeat offenders and being a voice for victims. She said that not everyone should receive probation. Skouby said that he uses the facts, evidence and circumstances of the case to achieve the best outcome.

“I am very aggressive. You cannot speak in general terms like that without knowing the details of every case,” Skouby said.

Skouby said that with 27 years of experience, he knows how judges operate. While a victim may want a defendant to go for prison for 11 years, the judge will not usually sentence first-time offenders to prison for common felonies without serious injury or repercussions. Examples include possession of a controlled substance and stealing.

He added that most judges will not give prison time for the second offense. Therefore, Skouby considers the judge and repeat offenses when recommending prison.

“Why beat your head against the wall when you know what the result is going to be?” he said.

Another achievement Skouby mentioned is restoring the county law enforcement restitution fund (CLERF). According to Revised State Statute 50.565, the fund can be used for paying for five specific law-enforcement-related expenses, including investigating and prosecuting crimes and purchasing equipment for the sheriff’s office.

At the beginning of his tenure, he guesses that the amount was $12,000-$15,000, but now he adds $90,000-$150,000 into the fund every year. A defendant will pay into the fund as part of the court cost, often as part of a deal. For example, a driver caught speeding may pay money into the fund to avoid a driving record point.

When Skouby became the prosecutor, the position was part-time, but voters in August 2022 approved making the position full time. That increased his annual salary from $52,101.12 in July 2022 to $156,214 in July 2023, and his current salary is $167,832.96, the same as the associate judge. To help the county pay for his salary, the CLERF board of trustees has approved giving the county $50,000 the last three years.

“I don’t know that you’ll ever meet another prosecutor that works his tail off to help pay his own salary, but that’s me,” he said.

As for conflicts with Sheriff Mark Morgan, Skouby said that he is frustrated from unfollowed advice and receiving fewer cases from Morgan’s office to prosecute. Under retired sheriff Chris Heitman, Skouby received 446 felony cases in 2023 and 419 in 2024, but he only received 277 in 2025, Morgan’s first year in office.

Skouby said that Morgan filed three bar complaints against him. He said Morgan cited ethical violations in handling investigations about Vienna Police Chief Shannon Thompson’s cigarette burning down the Vienna Pointe residential facility and former Deputy and Belle Police Officer Erican Sugg allegedly assaulting an elderly man. Skouby also said that Morgan filed a bar complaint about Skouby complaining about the bar complaint.

After reviewing footage of Sugg allegedly assaulting a senior citizen, Skouby said he advised against hiring Sugg, but Morgan continued with hiring the former officer as a deputy.

Skouby said that he is willing to advise and help Morgan, as he did under Heitman. He said that for six years, he and Heitman did not have any major conflicts because of open communication.

“I’m frustrated because Maries County deserves better, but I’m doing my best to get along with everyone,” Skouby said.

As for his opponent, Skouby believes that Slone does not yet have the experience to be a prosecuting attorney.  She graduated law school in December 2024, and in July 2025, she took the bar exam. She was admitted to The Missouri Bar on Sept. 24, 2025, under one year ago.

While Skouby is aware that she interned for the Pulaski County prosecutor and now works there full time, he believes that lawyers don’t know what they are doing for at least two or three years after graduation.

Skouby also didn’t know if Slone had any civil litigation experience that the job requires, but he said that even if she does, it doesn’t compare to his 27 years of legal experience. He also said he has defended the county regarding public river access, accusations of Sunshine Law violation and more.

“Twenty-seven years I’ve been a veteran in the trenches, fighting in the mud, the blood and the beer,” Skouby said.

For example, Skouby said that when Tom Tramel was elected as coroner in November 2024 without a driver’s license, a car, equipment or experience, Skouby had to do much research and learned about an obscure legal term to file a petition to vacate the office.

Skouby believes that Slone’s current experience may qualify her to be an assistant prosecutor, and he doesn’t want voters to make a similar mistake to electing Tramel.

If Skouby wins, his message is that he will continue to do what it takes to protect the community, whether that is sending criminals to prison or to long-term drug rehabilitation. He said he promised 7.5 years ago to prosecute crimes aggressively, regardless of name, wealth or status.

“I have kept that promise. If elected, I will continue to do so,” he said. “I will be your voice. I will continue to search justice, and I will continue to do my job to the best of my ability.”

But if he loses, his message is simple.

“My message is good luck and thank you for the 7.5 years or eight years that I had,” Skouby said.