HERMISTON, Ore.-Misdemeanors will now be transferred from Hermiston Municipal Court to Umatilla County Circuit Court.
The Hermiston City Council voted to transfer misdemeanor cases due to an ongoing shortage of statewide public defenders, especially in rural areas, such as Hermiston, at its regular meeting on November 10.
Hermiston has been unable to maintain long-term defense contracts at the level the City is currently able to pay attorneys, according to the City.
“We currently cannot prosecute criminal cases in our municipal court because we don’t have a public defender,” Hermiston City Manager Byron Smith told the Council. “We need somewhere to refer those cases from Municipal to Circuit Court.”
The City Council tabled discussion of whether to transfer misdemeanor cases at its October 13 meeting and directed City Staff to come up with proposed spending cuts to General Fund departments to cover increased spending for public defense services and retain misdemeanor case jurisdiction in Hermiston.
City staff presented two plans to the Council, including increasing annual spending on public defense to an estimated $400,000 to match Oregon Public Defense Commission standards, or transferring misdemeanor cases to Circuit Court.
“None of us want anyone to go unpunished for any crime,” said Councilor Jeff Kelso. “The City Manager and the City’s recommendation on this issue is the only course of action we have that gives some hope of prosecution, no matter how slim it may be.”
The Council unanimously voted to send misdemeanor cases to Circuit Court for potential prosecution, while continuing to seek public defense services that will allow cases to be returned to Municipal Court in the future.
