Lincoln County to explore option of creating public defender's office

Committee will also weigh option of joining with Minnehaha County

The Lincoln County Commission has formed a committee to explore the possibility of creating a public defender’s office, a response to rising caseloads in the rapidly growing communities in south Sioux Falls and beyond.

The committee will explore three possibilities: Retain the status quo of contracting with private attorneys to provide criminal defense counsel for the indigent; create a standalone public defender’s office; or join with Minnehaha County, which already has its own office.

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Besides Minnehaha County, Pennington and Lawrence counties also have their own offices. Brown County is also moving in that direction, with its commission voting earlier this year to reject contracts worth $850,000 and $900,000 a year for private attorneys in 2025 and 2026, The Aberdeen Insider reported last month.

Currently, Lincoln County is paying about $1.2 million a year to defend serious misdemeanors and felonies, Commissioner Joel Arends tells The Dakota Scout.

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