9 sit in Whatcom County Jail without lawyers

Dozens of criminal cases in Whatcom County are in limbo because defendants don’t have lawyers. Among them are nine inmates in the county jail. A “perfect storm” of circumstances has led these defendants to run out of options, said Starck Follis, the director of the Whatcom County Public Defender’s Office. Firstly, they can’t afford their own attorneys. They qualify for a public defender, but that office isn't allowed to take them on due to conflicts of interest. The next step is