From KOMO News:
TACOMA, Wash. (AP) – Last week’s crackdown on suspected members of the Hilltop Crips street gang has become a headache for Michael Kawamura.
The chief of Pierce County’s Department of Assigned Counsel must find defense lawyers to represent the 32 men charged with a variety of crimes stemming from an 18-month investigation.
All the defendants were declared indigent during their first court appearance. That means they qualify for public defense.
Kawamura said he’s most likely going to need help from outside the county as his staff of more than 60 public defenders might be precluded from representing the men because of potential conflicts of interest.
The trick is finding attorneys who have not represented more than one of the defendants – most of whom already have criminal records – or any witnesses in the case in the past.
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