BENTON COUNTY, Wash.-Nine felony cases have been dismissed by the Benton County Prosecutor’s Office and three more inmates have been released due to the ongoing Public Defender shortage.
Five inmates were previously released from the Benton County Jail due to the shortage on June 7.
The three inmates released on June 12 were in-custody on charges of escape, burglary and theft, according to the Prosecutor’s Office, and were due to the fact that there are not enough Defense Attorneys to cover the caseloads for the month of June.
There are currently only five full-time public defenders trying felony cases in Benton County and the dismissals and release will allow for attorneys to be appointed to the most serious cases.
Charges will be refiled in the dismissed cases as soon as additional Public Defenders are available, according to a press release from the Prosecutor’s Office.
