HILLSBORO, Ore.- In response to a federal court ruling issued today in Caleb Aionia, et al. v Patrick Garrett, et al., (3:23-cv-01097-CL), which requires the Washington County Sheriff to release from jail unrepresented defendants facing criminal charges within 10 days, District Attorney Kevin Barton makes the following statement:

I once again call on state leaders to act with urgency to take immediate and meaningful action to address the unrepresented defendant crisis.

Defendants have a right to an attorney, victims have the right to a day in court, and the public has a right to a functional criminal justice system that keeps people safe.  All three of these rights must be honored.

There are solutions to this crisis.  We have proposed several potential remedies to the Washington County Circuit Court (see Motion to Identify Defense Counsel Without Delay and Increase Defense Attorney Compensation as Needed, case no. C130935CR).  We will continue to advocate in court for these and other proposals to be implemented immediately to keep our community safe.

Additional Information:

Three area defense attorneys are also calling for action. Robert Harris, James Jensen, and Jennifer Robins each submitted declarations of support for our motion.