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County Indigent Defense Systems

Ohio’s indigent defense system consists of County Public Defenders, Non-Profit Corporations, Court-Appointed Counsel, and the Office of the Ohio Public Defender. The defense system used by each county is determined by the local Board of County Commissioners.

Together, Ohio county public defenders handled over 244,000 cases in fiscal year 2002.

Ashtabula
*Denotes counties using non-profit corporations for some or all public defender services.

Marie Lane
Ashtabula County Public Defender Office
4817 State Road, Suite 202
Ashtabula, Ohio 44004
Term: Contract Services

Ph: (440) 998-2628

Fax: (440) 998-2972

Athens
Includes Adams, Brown, Fayette, Jackson, Meigs,   Pickaway and Pike Counties

Mike Westfall
Office of the Ohio Public Defender 
Athens County Branch Office
80 North Court Street 
Athens, Ohio 45701

Ph: (740) 593-6400

Fax: (740) 594-2074

Auglaize

S. Mark Weller
Auglaize County Public Defender Office
119 West Auglaize Street
P.O. Box 180
Wapakoneta, Ohio  45895
Term:  Re-appointed July 1, 1999 
for a four year term.

Ph: (419) 738-7111

Fax: (419) 739-9389

Belmont

James L. Nichelson
Belmont County Public Defender Office
100 West Main Street
St. Clairsville, Ohio 43950
Term: Re-appointed January, 2001
for a four year term.

Ph: (740) 695-5263

Fax: (740) 695-5639

Butler**

**Denotes counties using non-profit corporations for Guardian Ad Litem services only.

Mary Asbury
Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati
Guardian Ad Litem Project
10 Journal Square, 3rd Floor
Hamilton, Ohio  45011
Term:  Contract Service

Ph: (513) 241-9400 
      (800) 582-2682

(513) 894-7669

Carroll

John Gartrell
Carroll County Public Defender
P.O. Box 507
Dover, Ohio  44622
Term: Appointed February 3, 2003
for a four year term.

Ph: (330) 364-5595

Fax: (330) 364-2423

Clark

John D. Marshall
Clark County Public Defender Office
50 East Columbia Street, 4th Floor
Springfield, Ohio 45502
Term: Appointed February 26, 2007
for a four year term.

Ph: (937) 521-1725

Fax: (937) 328-2715

Clermont

R. Daniel Hannon
Clermont County Public Defender Office
10 South Third Street
Batavia, Ohio 45103
Term: Re-appointed September 4, 2003
for a one year term.

Ph: (513) 732-7223

Fax: (513) 732-5382

Clinton

Joseph H. Dennis
Clinton County Public Defender Office
32 E. Sugartree St.
Wilmington, Ohio 45177
Term: Re-appointed January 1, 2006
for a one year term.

Ph: (937) 382-1316

Fax: (937) 382-8670

Columbiana*

*Denotes counties using non-profit corporations for some or all public defender services.

Frederic E. Naragon
Columbiana County Criminal Defense Co.
P.O. Box 61
Salem, Ohio  44460
Term: Contract Services

Ph: (330) 337-9578

Fax: (330) 337-1223

Coshocton

Jeffrey Mullen
Coshocton County Public Defender Office
239 North 4th Street
Coshocton, Ohio 43812
Term: Appointed March 1, 2005
 for a two year term.

Ph: (740) 623-0800

Fax: (740) 623-0296

Cuyahoga

Robert L. Tobik
Cuyahoga County Public Defender Office
310 Lakeside Avenue, Suite 400
Cleveland, Ohio 44113-1021
Term: Re-appointed May 13, 2006
for a four year term.

Ph: (216) 443-7223

Fax: (216) 443-3632

Drake*

Paul Wagner
Indigent Legal Assistance Fund
of West Central Ohio
1400 North Broadway
Greenville, Ohio 45331
Term:  Contract Services

Ph: (937) 548-6888

Fax: (937) 548-8066

Erie

Jeffrey J. Whitacre
Erie County Public Defender Office
220 Columbus Ave.
Sandusky, Ohio 44870
Term: Re-appointed July 3, 2006
 for a four year term.

Ph: (419) 627-6620

Fax: (419) 627-6633

Franklin

Yeura R. Venters
Franklin County Public Defender Office
373 South High Street, 12th Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Term: Re-appointed February 16, 2004
for a four year term

Ph: (614) 462-3194

Fax: (614) 461-6470

Gallia

Douglas Cowles
Gallia County Criminal Defense Corp.
456 Second Avenue
Gallipolis, Ohio 45631
Term:  Contract Services

Ph: (740) 446-7889

Fax: (740) 466-7985

Geauga

R. Robert Umholtz
Geauga County Public Defender Office
211 Main Street
Chardon, Ohio 44024
Term: Re-appointed January 4, 2006
for a four year term.

Ph: (440) 279-1890

Fax: (440) 286-4136

Greene

Arthur Sidell, III.
Greene County Public Defender Office
90 East Main Street
Xenia, Ohio 45385
Term: Re-appointed March 1, 2004
for a four year term.

Ph: (937) 562-5041

Fax: (937) 562-5671

Hamilton

Louis F. Strigari
Hamilton County Public Defender Office
230 East Ninth Street, 2nd Floor
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
Term: Re-appointed December 2000
for a two year term.

Ph: (513) 946-3700

Fax: (513) 946-3707

Hancock

Michael Galose
Hancock County Public Defender Office
316 Dorney Plaza
Findlay, Ohio 45840
Term: Re-appointed January 1, 2004
for a two year term.

Ph: (419) 424-7276

Fax: (419) 424-7274

Harrison

C. Adrian Pincola
Harrison County Public Defender Office
112 North Main Street
P.O. Box 427
Cadiz, Ohio 43907-0427
Term: Re-appointed January 1, 1996
for a four year term.

Ph: (740) 942-2010

Fax: (740) 942-2080

Huron

George C. Ford
Huron County Public Defender Office
16 E. Main St., 2nd Floor
Norwalk, Ohio 44857
Term: Re-appointed July 1, 2003
for a two year term.

Ph: (419) 668-3702

Fax: (419) 668-3702
(call first)

Knox

Bruce J. Malek
Knox County Public Defender Office
One Public Square
Mount Vernon, Ohio 43050
Term: Appointed December 28, 2007
for a four year term.

Ph: (740) 393-6734

Fax: (740) 397-6611

Lucas*

*Denotes counties using non-profit corporations for some or all public defender services.

Henry B. Herschel
Toledo Legal Aid Society-Defender Division
555 North Erie Street, Suite 248
Toledo, Ohio 43624
Term: Contract Services

Ph: (419) 244-8351

Fax: (419) 244-4833

Medina

Timothy R. Lutz
Medina County Public Defender Office
120 West Washington Street, Suite 2D
Medina, Ohio  44256
Term: Appointed May 26, 2007 
for a two year term

Ph: (330) 764-8437

Brunswick Office- (330) 225-7100
Wadsworth Office
(330) 336-6657

Fax: (330) 764-8440

Miami

John E. Hemm
Miami County Public Defender Office
Courthouse, 2nd Floor
201 West Main Street
Troy, Ohio 45373
Term: Reappointed January 3, 2003
for a four year term.

Ph: (937) 440-3950

Fax: (937) 440-3951

Monroe

C. Mark Morrison
Monroe County Public Defender Office
117 North Main Street
Woodsfield, Ohio 43793
Term: Re-appointed December, 28, 2002
for a one year term.

Ph: (740) 472-0703

Fax: (740) 472-9190

Montgomery

Glen Dewar
Montgomery County Public Defender Office
117 S. Main Street, Suite 400
P.O. Box 972
Dayton, Ohio 45422
Term:  Appointed July 26, 2000 
for a four year term.

Ph: (937) 225-4652

Fax: (937) 225-3449

Portage

Dennis D. Lager
Portage County Public Defender Office
209 South Chestnut, St., Suite 400
Ravenna, Ohio 44266
Term: Re-appointed July 17, 2001 for a four year term.

Ph: (330) 297-3665

Fax: (330) 298-2064

Ross

Dan Silcott
Office of the Ohio Public Defender
Ross County Branch Office
14 S. Paint St., Suite 54
Chillicothe, Ohio 45601 

Ph: (740) 772-4772

Fax: (740) 772-4825

Shelby

Timothy S. Sell
Shelby County Public Defender Office
108 East Poplar Street
Sidney, Ohio 45365
Term: Re-appointed February 1, 2006
for a one year term.

Ph: (937) 498-1714

Fax: (937) 492-6957

Stark

Tammi R. Johnson
Stark County Public Defender Office
200 W. Tuscarawas Street, Suite 200
Canton, Ohio 44702
Term: Re-appointed July 1, 2001
for a four year term.

Ph: (330) 451-7200

Fax: (330) 451-7227

Summit*

*Denotes counties using non-profit corporations for some or all public defender services.

Joseph S. Kodish
Legal Defender Office of 
Summit County, Ohio Inc.
One Cascade Plaza, Suite 1940
Akron, Ohio 44308
Term: Contract Services

Ph: (330) 434-3461

Fax: (330) 434-3371

Trumbull

Jim Lewis
Office of the Ohio Public Defender
Trumbull County Branch Office
328 Mahoning Avenue
Warren, Ohio 44483

Ph: (330) 393-7727

Fax: (330) 393-7076

Tuscarawas

Gerald A. Latanich
Joint County Public Defender Office
153 North Broadway
New Philadelphia, Ohio 44663
Term: Re-appointed September 21, 2006
for a two year term.

Ph: (330) 364-3523

Fax: (330) 364-7616

Union*
*Denotes counties using non-profit corporations for some or all public defender services.

Perry Parsons
Union County Criminal Defense Lawyers
111 W. Sixth Street
Marysville, Ohio  43040
Term: Contract Services

Ph: (937) 644-3144

Fax: (937) 644-3517

Van Wert*
*Denotes counties using non-profit corporations for some or all public defender services.

Earl Rice
Van Wert County Public Defender Office
124 East Main Street
Van Wert, Ohio 45891
Term: Contract Services

Ph: (419) 238-5064

Fax: (419) 238-4705

Washington

Raymond Smith
Office of the Ohio Public Defender 
Washington County Branch Office
Wesbanco Building
200 Putnam Street, Suite 200 
Marietta, Ohio 45750

Ph: (740) 373-1441

Fax: (740) 373-2133

Wayne

Beverly J. Wire
Wayne County Public Defender Program
113 West Liberty Street
Wooster, Ohio 44691
Term: Re-appointed January 12, 2007 
for a four year term.

Ph: (330) 287-5490

Fax: (330) 287-5479

Wood

Kathleen M. Hamm
Wood County Public Defender Office
123 North Summit Street
Bowling Green, Ohio 43402
Term: Re-appointed October 16, 2006
for a four year term.

Ph: (419) 354-9244

Fax: (419) 353-9865

The following counties do not have a public defender office and use court-appointed counsel only:

Allen, Ashland, Butler, Champaign, Crawford, Darke, Defiance, Delaware, Fairfield, Fulton, Guernsey, Hardin, Henry, Highland, Hocking, Holmes, Jefferson, Lawrence, Licking, Logan, Lorain, Madison, Mahoning, Marion, Mercer, Morgan, Morrow, Muskingum, Noble, Ottawa, Paulding, Perry, Preble, Putnam, Richland, Sandusky, Scioto, Seneca, Vinton, Warren, Williams, and Wyandot