Merriman part 2

[Birdfantammy]

Court appointed him a lawyer two days ago due to the fact he is apparently indigent.
You can't make that up. All after going on and on how much $$ he had.

That's friggin hilarious !  indigent 

Guess Mr Hot Shot blows it all on booze

[Bitter Truth]

I wish I was hip to posting things BUT that is the exact wording. Just says Donald Pond is hereby appointed as his attorney
due to his indigency. Then it's just signed by Judge Jennifer Towell.

[simplify]

wait. the guy makes a ton of money and can't afford a lawyer? wtf. Guess that explains why he works at multiple tracks and nearly every day. Whatever his vice is, it is extremely costly. Wow.

[Arrive7100]

Maybe he's just too cheap to pay a real lawyer.

[FirstUpFrom8Hole]

Whats the guidelines in Ohio to be considered indegent? The guy is still driving and is capable of making a couple thousand per card. I'm baffled. Are they going to garnish his mailbox money?

[simplify]

yes perhaps I am just hung up on the word indigent and he is being cheap in regard to a lawyer. But based on his address he lives in a below middle class house

[Arrive7100]

Maybe he's going with the public defender to set up grounds for appeal if he's convicted on the grounds of ineffective assistance from counsel.

[Hay 4 sail]

   This rumor been swirling for over week that he is getting a court appointed attorney. In all honesty I don't think it matters really. With his DUI record 4th, him talking all that bullshit .... I can beat this, I have Vitago I can beat this, I'm handicapped bullshit, I had this I had that, google me, talking about why cops get shot, calling the one cop a child molester. I think the courts know who he is by now there going to rack him. Don't matter who he hires he is fucked.

[Grandstand Handicapper]

Not sure how it works in OH, but in certain jurisdictions you have to qualify for a PD---and if you don't then you don't get one. Unless he's truly broke, it is a foolish move to get a PD. A top attorney is not making this go away, but can certainly do better and more damage control than a PD. OTOH, even if he is broke, I guess nobody is stepping up to help him, even with an attorney.

I don't know if this is strike one, two, three, or more, so it might not matter. However, if this was NY, NJ, or CT, a top attorney would have him in IOP, if not rehab, with supporting documentation from doctors, psychologists, they'd be talking anxiety, stress, PTSD, ingrown toenail, etc.----all to lower, lighten, etc., and avoid jail time, if possible. All that doesn't even matter. Sounds like the guy needs help and doesn't know it. Typical alcoholic. Like I said, I hope he hits rock bottom, makes the decision to get clean and sober, and gets the help and support he needs.

[Grandstand Handicapper]

Maybe he's going with the public defender to set up grounds for appeal if he's convicted on the grounds of ineffective assistance from counsel.

Yeah, good luck with that one. Obviously the right to appeal has nothing to do with who your attorney was. Simply saying, PD, ineffective counsel, is not easy. Any ineffective counsel claim has a very high bar to clear. Depending on the court this case is in, the PD could be a practicing attorney in private practice anyway. However, PD's do not regularly get their legs cut out from under them so that they are open to ineffective counsel claim. It would undermine the entire system and framework of the PD's office, and the court system.

[Hay 4 sail]

   Courts are going to do what they wanna do. Aaron could have Johnny Cochran it wouldn't matter. His history and his mouth did him in.

[Bitter Truth]

I normally think of someone young and green for a Public Defender but in this case,
looking up that name, that he has been a lawyer for 27 yrs. For what that's worth.

[FirstUpFrom8Hole]

Grandstand Hadicapper is dead on with both posts. My daughter is an attorney (do you have any idea how many 5% checks it takes to send a kid through law school?!) and we have had the ineffective council discussion many times. It's a tough one to prove.

Paying big bucks for a defense doesn't necessarily guarantee a great counselor, but it's a start.

[JENNY FROM THE BLOCK]

man he must be worse off than i even thought. but whatever. everyone said its over and done with  business as usual  right?

[Hay 4 sail]

man he must be worse off than i even thought. but whatever. everyone said its over and done with  business as usual  right?

  Over and done with?