Berrien County Chief Public Defender Paul Jancha has moved on and Chief Assistant Public Defender Kaitlin Locke has now been appointed to the role on an interim basis. Jancha was elected to be a judge last month and told the Berrien County Board of Commissioners Thursday he’s appreciated working with them.
“We certainly had a difficult period of time to work through with the courts and the county, but with the team, this county is just an incredible place to work and I think we’ve provided a really great service to our indigent clients.”
Under Jancha’s leadership, the county’s public defender office has added several new staff members. The office was created in 2017. With Kaitlin Locke now the interim chief defender, she told commissioners she’s excited to start.
