GREENFIELD, Ind. (AP) -- Officials are blaming an increase in drug-related activity and crime spilling over from Indianapolis for draining a suburban county's $500,000 public defender fund.
Hancock County officials say more than 60 percent of those charged last year with felonies reported not being able to pay for a lawyer.
County public defender board chairman John Apple tells The (Greenfield) Daily Reporter (http://bit.ly/1Z0YxGG ) that he's certain he'll have to ask for more money before the end of the year. He asked the county council for help after its budget came up $90,000 short.
Hancock County sheriff's Maj. Brad Burkhart says many robbery and drug cases in his county involve people from Indianapolis.
