The Town of Lyons has not had its own officer patrolling the streets for a while, but that’s about to change. On Tuesday evening, a new Town Marshal was sworn in to office during a meeting of the Lyons Town Council.

C. Royce Honeycutt is sworn in as the Lyons Town Marshal on Tuesday evening, October 13, during a meeting of the Lyons Town Council. Photo courtesy of Lyons Town Marshal Department.

When members of the Lyons Town Council met for their regular monthly meeting on Tuesday evening, October 13, with all members present including President Kim Nickless and Council members Scott Powers and Michelle Emmons, they unanimously took action to establish a new Lyons Town Marshal Department and appoint its first officer.

C. Royce Honeycutt, a Lyons resident and businessman, was appointed, took the oath of office and was sworn in on the spot. His appointment was effective immediately.

Honeycutt comes with years of experience in law enforcement, both in the field and as an instructor, in other locations including Colorado, prior to moving to Lyons.

Honeycutt is well-known in the area – as a youth, he spent summers and vacations with family in Lyons. He has now been a resident of Lyons for many years and has family in the area.

Honeycutt is a gunsmith and the owner of a local business, American Arsenal and Armory, located on State Road 67 in the center of town in the building that formerly housed the Lyons Grocery.

Since Honeycutt has training and experience, he said he will not have to be sent through the Law Enforcement Academy as a new recruit but in order to meet requirements, at some point he may attend Marshal’s training and/or need to update his credentials at the Academy.

The Town has not had a local officer in its employ since early in the year but has been served by officers from the Greene County Sheriff’s Department and other law enforcement agencies who have responded to calls for service.

Regarding equipment, after the town’s last officer resigned, the town’s patrol vehicle was parked and Town Clerk-Treasurer Darla Robison said it was in good condition and is ready to roll back into service.

In order to provide the best possible law enforcement coverage for the town, it is expected that the new Marshal and the Council will soon be moving to add reserve officers to the department to assist the Marshal.