Brown County drug trafficking suspect James Grandberry. (Photo source: Brown County Jail)
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – An attorney has been appointed for James Grandberry – one of the suspects in a Chicago-to-Green Bay drug ring, but who hasn’t had a preliminary hearing more than 14 months after he was arrested.
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 had been unable to find an attorney for Grandberry, that hearing has been postponed at least seven times, most recently on July 15.
The state Public Defender’s Office said it made more than 5,000 contacts with attorneys, trying to find counsel for Grandberry.
Court records show Madison attorney Joseph Bugni has been appointed to the case. A status conference is planned for Tuesday.
Bugni was also recently appointed to represent Grandberry in a related case before the appeals court.
Grandberry asked for his case to be dismissed, arguing his Constitutional rights have been violated by the lack of a preliminary in a timely fashion. The appeals court is looking over transcripts in Grandberry’s case to determine whether there was justification to extend the deadline to find an attorney. There isn’t a timeline for when a decision will be reached.
A few years ago, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled a Green Bay man’s rights had been violated because he sat in jail 113 days without a preliminary hearing. The charges against the man were able to be refiled.
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