Boone County judge: No plans to appoint more private attorneys for public defender cases

On Tuesday, Boone County Judge Kevin Crane said he had no plans to appoint more private attorneys to public defender cases in the near future.

In September, ABC 17 News reported the judge appointed more than 40 private attorneys to ease case loads for public defenders who assist defendants that can’t afford a lawyer.

Judge Crane said the overall response from the recently assigned attorneys has been good.

One public defender official in Boone County told ABC 17 News there is no set timeline on how long private attorneys will be helping.

“That’s not something we can necessarily put a timeline on and say we can take “X” number of cases every week, because it just depends on the type of cases and the workload,” deputy chief public defender Sarah Aplin said.

Crane said 52 cases are being handled by private attorneys.