After much discussion and planning, Allen County now has a dedicated Public Defender’s Office.
Today(12/21/20), former Allen County Assistant Prosecutor Kenneth Sturgill started as Allen County Public Defender. He spent 8 years at the prosecutor’s office and was eager to apply for the position. His first order of business is to hire a Chief Assistant to help get the office up and running. He feels his experience in the courtroom has prepared him to create a more efficient system with a full-time public defender’s office.
Allen County Public Defender Kenneth Sturgill goes on to add, “And I think we’ll do that by implementing the use of technology in the courtroom more so than it has been. As well as being purely local and only assigned to these cases we’ll be able to speak to clients more often, more regularly keep them informed about the proceedings, and better advise them. Secondly, by doing so, I think cases will move along more quickly and will be a lot more efficient, which in the long run could cut costs to the county.”
Sturgill hopes to have a staff of up to 6 lawyers and several administrative personnel. The new department is listed in the county’s general budget under Public Defender Commission, with a draft budget of approximately $900,000. Sturgill’s salary is set at $96,000. The office will be located at 417 North West Street.
