Judge jails unprepared public defender for contempt

ABC News reports:

Portage County Judge John Plough had assistant public defender Brian Jones arrested for contempt of court last week after Jones refused to begin a misdemeanor assault trial because he said he was unprepared. Jones was assigned to the case one day earlier.

Jones, who started working as a public defender earlier this year, was held for five hours in the local jail before being released on bail, said Ian Friedman, a lawyer with the Ohio Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

A hearing on the contempt charge, to be held before Plough, is scheduled for Friday. Jones’ attorneys have asked Plough to remove himself from the case, saying he cannot be impartial.