Apr 21, 2008 10:12 am US/Central
Powerball Winner Granted Public Attorney
ANOKA, Minn. (AP) ―
A Minneapolis man who won $200,000 in the Powerball lottery convinced authorities in Anoka County that he couldn't afford an attorney to represent him on a traffic violation -- so he was granted a public defender.
Anoka County Judge Ellen Mass presided over Jeremy Powe's traffic case. Mass says Powe represented himself as poor enough for a public defender. But, she says, if he had $200,000 he probably wouldn't have qualified.
There is no home phone listing for Powe. The news release announcing his October Powerball winnings doesn't list a place of employment.
Minnesota Public Defender John Stuart says a judge looks at income and assets in evaluating whether someone needs a public defender. The individual only has to pay a $28 co-pay for the attorney.
Stuart says the courts handle hundreds of thousands of cases and are short-staffed -- a factor which might have affected Powe's case.
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