Washington's Yakima County represents breaking point in state's public defender crisis
Last summer, Robert Dale Root was charged with violating a no-contact order to stay away from his partner.
Unable to afford an attorney and facing a dwindling roster of Yakima County public defenders, Root waited three months for a public defender to represent him for the felony charge. His partner repeatedly asked to lift the order, to no avail, as Root posted bail twice — before landing back in jail for violating the order each time.
He took off work for three arraignment hearings, but he showed up to the hearings without legal representation, only for his arraignment to be rescheduled for a later date. The attorney he was finally assigned met with him just once, complained of being flooded with other cases and left the office before Root’s case was resolved, about seven months after his initial arrest.
He’s since been assigned another attorney and sits in the county jail awaiting a trial date set for April 21.
https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/04/14/washingtons-yakima-county-represents-breaking-point-in-states-public-defender-crisis/