Sarah Ikena
Assistant County Attorney
Sarah is originally from Lexington, South Carolina. Sarah attended Rutgers University, graduating Magna Cum Laude with a Political Science Degree. Sarah then attended and graduated from the University of Texas School of Law in Austin, Texas. Sarah was previously the Dickinson County Attorney and was an Assistant County Attorney before becoming the County Attorney. Before prosecuting, Sarah was a criminal defense attorney who served as a public defender in Kansas and Pennsylvania. Sarah was in private practice in Virginia, handling criminal and military defense, and practiced in the Eastern District of Virginia in Federal Court. Sarah is a military spouse and has worked and is licensed in Kansas, Georgia, and Virginia. Sarah is active in supporting military service members and their families.
Saber Hossinei
Assistant County Attorney
Saber began working at the Leavenworth County Attorney’s Office as an intern following his second year of law school. A non-traditional student and a first-generation professional. Saber attended Wichita State University and received his law degree from the University of Kansas. Saber began his career in insurance before life brought him to a passion for law. Saber began volunteering for the Midwest Innocence Project in Kansas City, MO, and eventually, Saber became a full-time employee serving in fundraising and communications roles. There, Saber learned of the dual role of the prosecutor as not just an advocate for the State but also as a minister of justice, and started law school inspired to pursue a career as a prosecutor.
Saber is an active alumni volunteer with KU Law’s Career Services Office, serves as a mentor for Eagle U, a youth success program, and serves on the professional advisory board of ADHDKC.
Christen “Christy” Secrest
Assistant County Attorney
Christy is a lifelong resident of Olathe, Kansas. Christen graduated from Washburn University, receiving a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and a bachelor’s degree in Spanish before attending Washburn University School of Law, where she received her Juris Doctorate. Christen had previously worked in immigration law and worked as a public defender in Shawnee County from 2018 to 2021 when she joined the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office as an Assistant District Attorney prosecuting a variety of offenses. As of 2024, Christen has joined the Leavenworth County Attorney’s office as an Assistant County Attorney with special interests in reducing recidivism, equal access to justice, and community improvement.
William Payne
Assistant County Attorney
The Leavenworth County Attorney’s Office and County Attorney Todd Thompson are pleased to announce William Payne joined the team in September. Payne is originally from Kansas City, Missouri. He earned an Associate of Arts in liberal arts at Johnson County Community College and a Bachelor of Science in communication at Pittsburg State University. While earning a J.D. and a certificate in dispute resolution at the University of Missouri, William interned for the United States District Court of the Western District of Missouri and served as an associate member of the Business, Entrepreneurship & Tax Law Review. After law school, he clerked at the 16th Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri, before becoming an assistant county attorney for Leavenworth County. William is licensed to practice law in Kansas and Missouri.