GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – With a murder-for-hire suspect going on five months without an attorney, while sitting in jail on a substantial cash bond, Judge Timothy Hinkfuss decided Tuesday to appoint a county-paid attorney for the man.
It’s the latest example of the strain being placed on the criminal justice system due to a lack of private attorneys willing to take public defender office-funded cases. Brown County has been looking for options and help to cope with the problem.
Laene Piontek, the suspect who appeared before Judge Hinkfuss Tuesday, is just one of more than 200 defendants waiting for attorneys to be assigned by the Green Bay office of the State Public Defender.
Piontek was charged in June with several charges for allegedly sexually assaulting a girl over the course of several years. A few weeks later, prosecutors added two counts of solicitation of first-degree intentional homicide for allegedly trying to hire another jail inmate to kill the victim and her mother. Piontek pleaded not guilty in July. He’s being held in jail on a combined $150,000 cash bond.
Piontek’s attorney left the case in September. No attorney was appointed in time for a status conference in December, and the case was rescheduled for Tuesday. That’s when Judge Hinkfuss asked Piontek for an update.
“I called the public defender and they said they do not have anybody available for me,” Piontek said.
Rather than wait for the state public defender’s office to continue to find an attorney, Judge Hinkfuss decided to appoint a county-funded attorney. That county-paid rate is higher than what the public defender’s office pays — but Piontek would have to pay the county back.
“I’m anxious to keep this going — for Mr. Piontek’s sake, and for any potential victims, as well. This case has been around for a long time, so we’ve got to keep it moving,” Judge Hinkfuss said.
Piontek returns to court April 9. Presuming an attorney is hired by then, a trial could be scheduled at that hearing.
The state public defender’s office recently agreed to send three limited-term employees to Green Bay to help with the caseload. Brown County officials are also pushing an increase in the attorney fees through the upcoming state budget.
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