First there was the problem that Luzerne County didn’t have enough space to house all of the people it was imprisoning.

Then, Luzerne County didn’t have enough judges to try all of the people facing trial.

Now, Luzerne County’s Public Defender’s Office is claiming to not have enough money to properly represent all of the people facing trial who can’t afford private counsel.

So, how is Luzerne County going to afford TWO SEPARATE TRIALS for Harlow Cuadra and Joseph Kerekes?

Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Judge Peter Paul Olszewski Jr. issued a ruling Wednesday directing the defenders to give two bills, totaling about $19,000 and submitted to them by two experts in a homicide case, to the commissioners to pay … The ruling was part of an ongoing dispute over the bills. Citizens Voice

The Citizens Voicer article claims that “The Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office is allotted $220,000 for experts and the court system is allotted $320,000 for experts”. The Public Defender’s Office was allocated $32,000 for 2008.