Whiting man still seeks new attorney prior to trial

The trial of a Netawaka man charged with picking up a package reportedly containing four pounds of mari­juana at the Whiting post office in May is scheduled to begin Tuesday, but the defendant told a judge in Jackson County District Court on Friday that he is still at­tempting to hire new legal counsel before the trial begins.

Johnny Lee Williams, 54, had filed a motion to dismiss his attor­ney, J. Richard Lake of Holton, and hire Topeka attorney Pantaleon Florez Jr. instead. Kansas Second District Court Judge Jeff Elder had denied that motion in late Septem­ber, noting that Florez had not filed an entry of appearance as Wil­liams’ attorney at that time.

During a pre-trial motion hearing on Friday in district court, Elder reminded Williams that his trial was set to begin on Tuesday and denied Williams’ request for a speedy trial waiver, saying that ei­ther Lake or Florez would need to file that motion. Florez had not filed an entry of appearance as Williams’ attorney at that point, Lake said after the hearing, adding it was likely he, rather than Florez, would be repre­senting Williams during this week’s trial.

Williams was arrested in May on charges of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, a Level 2 drug felony, after he was observed picking up a package reportedly containing about four pounds of marijuana from the Whiting post office. He is currently being held at the Jackson County Detention Center on that charge, as well as on charges of possession of marijuana and possession of drug parapherna­lia.

Jackson County Sheriff Tim Morse said at the time of Williams’ arrest that Wil­liams had been al­leged to have dis­tributed mari­juana from shipments he had been re­ceiving through the mail from California. Lake questioned whether the Whiting postmaster was participating in an “illegal search” in identifying the package Williams picked up as one that contained drugs.

During Friday’s hearing, Elder also said that Williams could have access to a cell phone that was seized at the time of his arrest so that he could get family members’ phone numbers and contact them for assistance during the trial, say­ing Williams’ request for access to the phone was “not unreasonable.”