Public Defender Bruce Miller has issued a letter objecting to several statements judicial candidate Scott Ritchie made on the YouTube video – “Coffee & Conversation with Paul Hamlin & Scott Ritchie.”
Miller objected to Ritchie insinuating that he handled 400-500 cases a year over 17 years with the Public Defender Office.
“The statements are not factually correct,” wrote Miller. “The invitation to multiply 400 or 500 by 17 years to arrive at the number of cases handled would produce a grossly inflated number.”
Miller pulled data off his case management software and found Ritchie had been assigned 2,614 cases while Hamlin was assigned 4,381 during his time working in the Public Defender Office.
The Public Defender also objected to Ritchie claiming he has supervised 60 attorneys and 60 support staff across four counties and six offices.
Miller said during his 10 years in office, that Ritchie has supervised eight to 16 attorneys at any given time. “Most of his time was spent supervising eight attorneys in one office. At one time, he did supervise eight attorneys in our Milton office but never simultaneously with his later Pensacola assignment. He did not supervise any attorneys in the remaining four offices.”
Miller also took umbrage with Ritchie’s assertion that he manages the budget with his duties. “During my administration, candidate Ritchie has had no involvement or participation of any kind with the budget.”
The Public Defender stated that he and another Public Defender employee confronted Ritchie about his misrepresentations.
“Both attempts to encourage candidate Ritchie to correct the misrepresentations have been ignored,” Miller wrote to end his letter. “A fair election requires a fair process.”
Scott Ritchie will appear on WCOA on Wednesday at 7 a.m. Stay tuned.
