Quentin Navarro waited more than two hoursÌýin a TexasÌýcourtÌýNov. 9, 2022 to talk to the Wharton County District attorney about a potential plea deal with no public defender to help negotiate. Navarro is among people accused in more than 100,000 misdemeanors each year across the West who navigate the criminal justice system without attorneys.
EMIILY HAMER, LEE ENTERPRISES' PUBLIC SERVICE JOURNALISM TEAM
Quentin Navarro waived his right to an attorney and nervously talked aloneÌýwith the prosecutor on his first day in court Nov. 9 in Wharton County, Texas. "You’re walking in there to talk to the district attorney blind," he says.Ìý
EMILY HAMER, LEE ENTERPRISES' PUBLIC SERVICE JOURNALISM TEAM
Quentin Navarro and his girlfriend Melissa say navigating the criminal justice system with little money it is a challenge. Melissa, who only gave her first name, has outstanding court fees she can't pay. Navarro said one reason he waived his right to a public defender is because he thinks negotiations alone with the prosecutor is quicker and less expensive. Defendants with a public defender pay attorney fees, but it's less expensive than a private attorney and payment is due later.
Burleigh County District Court Judge James Hill in a 2015 file photo orders a defendant to remain in jail until a bond hearing or sentencing. In October 2022, Hill accepted quick guilty pleas from a man and a woman appearing in court for the first time with no attorneys. Hill's office did not respond to a request for comment.
Melissa, who asked to be identified by her first name only to avoid attention to her cases, pleaded guilty to an assault charge without an attorney’s guidance last summer in Texas. She says she could have fought for a lesser charge, but she "just wanted it to be over and done with." Here, she waits on Nov. 9, 2022Ìýoutside the Wharton County Courthouse AnnexÌýfor her boyfriend, Quentin Navarro, to finish his court hearing on a separate case.
Quentin Navarro holds a slip telling him to come back to court in January outside the Wharton County Courthouse Annex in Wharton, Texas, Nov. 9, 2022. He waited more than two hours for his first court hearing. About 40 other people accused of misdemeanors appeared in court and had their cases delayed or resolved with quick plea deals.
EMILY HAMER, LEE ENTERPRISES PUBLIC SERVICE JOURNALISM TEAM
Editor's note:ÌýThis story is part of 'Broken Defense,' an investigative series from Lee Enterprises. More details about this project can be found at the bottom of this article.Ìý
Quentin Navarro waived his right to an attorney and nervously talked aloneÌýwith the prosecutor on his first day in court Nov. 9 in Wharton County, Texas. "You’re walking in there to talk to the district attorney blind," he says.Ìý
EMILY HAMER, LEE ENTERPRISES' PUBLIC SERVICE JOURNALISM TEAM
Quentin Navarro and his girlfriend Melissa say navigating the criminal justice system with little money it is a challenge. Melissa, who only gave her first name, has outstanding court fees she can't pay. Navarro said one reason he waived his right to a public defender is because he thinks negotiations alone with the prosecutor is quicker and less expensive. Defendants with a public defender pay attorney fees, but it's less expensive than a private attorney and payment is due later.
Quentin Navarro holds a slip telling him to come back to court in January outside the Wharton County Courthouse Annex in Wharton, Texas, Nov. 9, 2022. He waited more than two hours for his first court hearing. About 40 other people accused of misdemeanors appeared in court and had their cases delayed or resolved with quick plea deals.
EMILY HAMER, LEE ENTERPRISES PUBLIC SERVICE JOURNALISM TEAM
Melissa, who asked to be identified by her first name only to avoid attention to her cases, pleaded guilty to an assault charge without an attorney’s guidance last summer in Texas. She says she could have fought for a lesser charge, but she "just wanted it to be over and done with." Here, she waits on Nov. 9, 2022Ìýoutside the Wharton County Courthouse AnnexÌýfor her boyfriend, Quentin Navarro, to finish his court hearing on a separate case.
Burleigh County District Court Judge James Hill in a 2015 file photo orders a defendant to remain in jail until a bond hearing or sentencing. In October 2022, Hill accepted quick guilty pleas from a man and a woman appearing in court for the first time with no attorneys. Hill's office did not respond to a request for comment.
Quentin Navarro waited more than two hoursÌýin a TexasÌýcourtÌýNov. 9, 2022 to talk to the Wharton County District attorney about a potential plea deal with no public defender to help negotiate. Navarro is among people accused in more than 100,000 misdemeanors each year across the West who navigate the criminal justice system without attorneys.
EMIILY HAMER, LEE ENTERPRISES' PUBLIC SERVICE JOURNALISM TEAM
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