Brown County drug trafficking suspect James Grandberry. (Photo source: Brown County Jail)
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – In an ironic twist, state officials have appointed an attorney for James Grandberry’s appeal in a case asking for his drug charges to be dropped because the state can’t find him an attorney for the original drug charges.
Grandberry, 36, faces 14 charges, including three of manufacture or delivery of fentanyl, amphetamines and cocaine, after a bust last August. Seven people were arrested, with Grandberry facing the most charges. He was arrested on July 11, 2024, and charged about two weeks later. Prosecutors have since said this case was the state’s first wiretap investigation for fentanyl and at least 47 people are facing charges.
A preliminary hearing is an early step in the criminal process, where prosecutors have to show there is enough for the case to proceed. For those in custody – as Grandberry is, being held on a $1 million cash bond – such hearings are supposed to take place within ten days. However, as the state has been unable to find an attorney for Grandberry, that hearing has been postponed at least seven times, most recently on July 15.
Brown County commissioners have repeatedly extended the deadline. Grandberry filed a motion asking for his case to be dismissed, arguing his Constitutional rights have been filed. Prosecutors have opposed the request. However, in a relative rare move, the State Court of Appeals said it will hear Grandberry’s claims.
No hearings have been scheduled in the appeals court, but state court records show attorney Joseph Bugni was appointed to the case Thursday.
Meanwhile, 14 months after he was charged, no attorney has been appointed for Grandberry in the Brown County case. A Sept. 23 hearing is scheduled in that case.
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