Marine Corps Lawyer New Public Defender

A retiring Marine Corps attorney will be the next Kootenai County public defender.

Lt. Col. Ronaldo A. Coulter is leaving the service in October and becomes chief public defender Oct. 30. He replaces Jonathan Hull, who announced he was leaving the office in May after the deaths of his wife and parents.

Hull is leaving Oct. 1. Chief Deputy Public Defender Joel Ryan will run the office until Coulter arrives.

Coulter earned his law degree at the University of San Diego and was admitted to the Idaho Bar in 1988. He has worked on Marine Corps Legal Services Support Teams and as a Marine Judge Advocate.

He will have to deal with a public defender’s office beset with high turnover. Two deputy public defenders announced their resignations in July.

With Hull’s departure, nearly half the staff of seven attorneys will have left this year.

, DataTimes