Former Defender Under Investigation
Post Falls police are investigating a former Kootenai County employee for allegedly molesting a 19-year-old girl.
The man’s name has not been released because he has not yet been charged with a crime. However, Detective Dick Halligan said the suspect is a former Kootenai County deputy public defender.
A special prosecutor - Bonner County Prosecutor Phil Robinson - has been asked to evaluate the case for criminal charges.
”(Kootenai County Prosecutor) Bill Douglas feels there may be a conflict of interest due to the individual’s one time employment by the public defender’s office,” Halligan said.
The 19-year-old girl and her mother went to the suspect’s Post Falls residence for a visit on Jan. 20. The suspect is the girl’s uncle, Halligan said.
While they were there, all three drank a large amount of alcohol. The girl and her mother decided to stay the night because they drank so much, Halligan said.
The girl told police that she went to bed on the floor with her mother but woke up the next morning in bed with the suspect. Neither of them were wearing clothes, Halligan said.
The suspect began working as a deputy public defender on Sept. 30, 1996, according to Kootenai County records. It was his job to defend accused criminals who didn’t have money to hire their own attorney.
He left the job about four days after the alleged incident. County officials would not say why he left the job but said it had nothing to do with the sex abuse allegation.
Halligan said he is continuing to investigate the case but has not been able to interview the suspect because he has retained an attorney.
The detective said he expects the prosecutor to decide whether or not to file charges within the next few weeks.
, DataTimes