Unfair legal system

How is Paul Alvin Adcock out on bond and represented by the Warren County Public Defender’s Office? I, seriously, need someone to explain this to me.

It has been a longstanding tradition by the judges of Warren County that if you can bond out of jail, you must pay your own attorney fees. If you cannot obtain an attorney, your bond will be revoked, and you will be put back in jail. Then, and only then, will you be represented by the Public Defender.

I’ve been gone from covering Warren County news for almost four years. Yet, one of the first complaints I heard upon returning was that judges were denying people their right to counsel. As it turned out, judges were still using the above reason, and this individual didn’t understand that this isn’t something new. It’s been longstanding. Once I explained that, she understood.

Adcock was arrested on Dec. 4, 2019, and charged with second-degree murder and tampering with evidence. His bond was set at $57,500, which he posted that day. He’s been free ever since. He’s slated to be in court on Wednesday, Aug. 26, before Judge Stanley. So, I began digging into his case. Not much else to tell, until I accessed court records online and saw he’s being represented by the Public Defender’s Office.

I saw red.

My brother was arrested sometime in the late 90s or early 2000s for something far less severe than second-degree murder. I was a single mother of two, but I could afford $150 to get him out. During his first court appearance, my brother told the judge he was without a job and would need the Public Defender’s Office to represent him. The judge said no. As I sat there listening and somewhat taken aback, he gave my brother 30 days to hire an attorney, or his bond would be revoked and then he could be represented by a Public Defender. People who can afford to bond out, he said, must pay their own attorney’s fees. So, I had to find an attorney who would take payments that I could afford. That attorney was Billy K. Tollison – he’s awesome and still practicing.

The legal system should be fair to everyone. Fairness generally means treating everyone impartially, equally, and without bias, ensuring equal opportunities and respect for all.

How is this situation fair to all the other individuals who couldn’t afford to hire an attorney and were placed back in jail because of it? How is this fair to those who had to rely on family and friends for money to stay out of jail? I can answer both of those questions: it’s not.

I’m livid at this moment. I’d really like someone to explain why he’s out on bond and being represented free-of-charge by the Public Defender’s Office when others have been denied that courtesy. I don’t want to see anyone sitting in jail for months or years as their case makes its way through the system, but fair is fair and this is not.

My only hope is that the online records got it wrong. However, in all the time that I’ve been using it, it has only failed me once and that was because it wasn’t updated in a timely manner.

I’ll be waiting for a reason, but I won’t be holding my breath.

I can be reached at lisa.hobbswcw@gmail.com