One month after Greg Newman was removed from office as district attorney in a rare court proceeding, he has been approved to work in Asheville and Buncombe County as a defense attorney for indigent clients – those who have been accused of a crime and can’t afford a private lawyer.
Buncombe County Chief Public Defender Sam Snead on May 24 approved Newman to be placed on a list of attorneys who serve as court-appointed counsel for indigent people.
These lawyers are paid by the state’s Office of Indigent Defense Services to represent those accused of crimes but the public defender’s office has a conflict and cannot take their cases, or is too overburdened to take a case, Snead said.
Greg Newman, former Henderson County district attorney removed from office in disgrace in April, is working as a defense attorney for the indigent in Buncombe County.