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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Suspected panty thief may lose fourth attorney in year


Kim
 (The Spokesman-Review)
Associated Press

PORTLAND – Accused panty thief Sung Koo Kim might soon need another lawyer – his fourth in a year.

Des Connall, of Portland, citing an undisclosed ethical issue, said he plans to file motions to withdraw from the highly publicized set of cases in Yamhill, Washington, Benton and Multnomah counties, the (McMinnville) News-Register reported.

Kim, 31, is accused of stealing panties from women at Linfield, George Fox, Oregon State and other colleges. Kim also faces child pornography charges in his home Washington County.

The Spokesman-Review previously reported that several unsolved thefts of women’s underwear occurred in Pullman between 1999 and 2001 while Kim – who graduated in 2001 – attended Washington State University.

A collection of 3,400 bras and panties were found in the Tigard, Ore., home, where Kim lived with his parents.

Investigators have said some of the panties and bras may have been taken from the Palouse in the late 1990s.

He is a former suspect in the disappearance of Brooke Wilberger, a Brigham Young University student who disappeared from a Corvallis apartment complex last May. Police eventually said they no longer considered Kim a suspect.

Connall’s plan to withdraw from the case comes just weeks before Kim’s first trial, scheduled for June 7 in Yamhill County.

If Yamhill County Judge John Collins grants Connall’s motion, the trial may have to be put off until fall.

“Because of very recent activities which have occurred between Mr. Kim and this law firm, as of Wednesday, we would move to withdraw representation in that matter in all four counties,” Connall told Collins in a pretrial conference conducted by telephone last Friday.

Connall termed the details of his conflict of interest in the case “extremely delicate,” saying he could reveal them only in a sealed affidavit or private appearance in Collins’ chambers.

Connall is the third prominent Portland defense attorney retained by the Kim family since their son’s initial arraignment last May.

Michael Greenlick of Borg Strom & Greenlick represented Kim the first month.

Then sole practitioner Janet Lee Hoffman took over.

After Hoffman’s withdrawal, Kim’s family contracted with Connall, who practices with his daughter in the partnership of Des & Shannon Connall LLP.

Kim’s mother, Dong, said she had no idea why Connall planned to withdraw.

She said it had nothing to do with compensation, as he had agreed to accept a flat fee rather than bill the family at an hourly rate.