By Chris OrletRecord Managing EditorLongtime Warren County Prosecuting Attorney Michael S. Wright was appointed Tuesday to the newly created associate circuit judge position for Warren County. Wright was appointed to the bench by Gov. Jay Nixon.Wright joins Presiding Judge Wesley Dalton and Associate Circuit Judge Richard Scheibe on the Warren County bench. Scheibe was appointed last January.“It is an honor to be appointed by Gov. Nixon,” Wright said Tuesday. “I am very proud of my time as prosecutor and believe I made a positive difference in our community.”Wright thanked the citizens of Warren County for the opportunity and allowing him to do a job he loved.“But the time is right for me to move on,” he said. “I am excited and look forward to this chapter in my professional career and the new challenges of being a judge.”Wright is expected to assume the bench within the next 30 days. Nixon will appoint a new prosecuting attorney according to a spokesman for the governor’s office.Wright has served as the prosecuting attorney for Warren County since 1991 and has handled a wide range of cases as prosecutor, including homicide cases. Until 2002, the position was part-time; since 2002, the prosecuting attorney for the county has been a full-time position.“The people of Warren County have shown their continued confidence in Mike Wright by electing him six times as their prosecuting attorney,” Nixon said.Wright has been active in the Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, including serving as its president; and also has served in leadership roles with the National District Attorneys Association, including as its president from 2012-2013.In 2013, he was named Prosecutor of the Year by the Missouri Bar Association and Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys. The award is given annually to a prosecutor who has personified the ideals of the profession through service to the criminal justice system, outstanding trial skills or innovative leadershipWhen the prosecuting attorney position was part-time, Wright also operated a private legal practice in Warrenton. He obtained his bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri and his law degree from Washburn University.He and his wife Cindy have two children, Anna and Stephanie, and three grandchildren.Wright Appointed to Bench in Warren County