Eleven incarcerated individuals at the Coos Co. Jail at Coquille are set to be released on Friday, June 21, 2024 due to no legal representation. Coos Co. District Attorney R. Paul Frasier says, “The local public defenders office cannot take these cases for a variety of reasons. The local courts have appointed the Oregon Public Defense Commission (OPDC) to obtain counsel for these persons. Pursuant to a federal court order, if an in-custody defendant does not have counsel within seven-days of that person’s first appearance, that person must be released from custody. There are no exceptions.” There are 56 defendants waiting in the Coos Co. Jail for OPDC to find them counsel. Set to be released on Friday are: Benjamin Anderson, Burglary 1; Crystal Bentley, UUV; Kayla Brun, ID Theft; David Edgerton, Theft II, FTA II; Steven Houck, Unlawful Use of Weapon; Gregory Kuehne, Contempt of Court; Jack McGuire, Contempt of Court; Aaron McKinley, Burglary I; Grace Rabey, Contempt of Court; Jesse Reigard, Rape I; Robert Thompson, Menacing; James Wilson, Theft I.
