Indigent-defense services contract renewed

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners this week renewed a three-year contract for indigent-defense services.
County administrator Pat Yoder said a pool of nine area attorneys were accepted to represent defendants who cannot afford legal services during their judicial process.
The agreement, between the county and the Michigan Municipal Corporation, comes with a cost averaging about $480,000 each year of the three-year arrangement. The contract goes into effect at the start of the new year.
The attorneys within the pool are: David Marvin, Laurie Hines, Robert Dutka, John Bush, T.J. Reed, Kevin Kleidon, Christine Yancey, Deborah Davis and Howard Bush.
Yoder said a clause in the agreement states that either party could reopen the contract during the 36-month period if something were to change at the state level.