Faulkner County won't return $350,000 to public defender's office

CONWAY, Ark.—A county in central Arkansas won't reimburse its public defender's office for more than $350,000 of funding that officials diverted to other entities over almost two decades.

Faulkner County attorney David Hogue told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that the county's Quorum Court has agreed to end the practice of transferring money from the defender's office to other programs. But the court declined to reimburse any of the remaining money.

Without the funding, the 20th Judicial Circuit public defender's office doesn't have enough money to hire an investigator or a legal secretary, chief public defender Lynn Plemmons said.

The prosecuting attorney's office will return $23,500 of the defender's funding, but it's not enough to cover hiring costs.

Read more: http://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/arkansas/story/2019/jan/04/faulkner-county-wont-return-350000-public-defenders-office/759415/