Attorney Facing Drug Trial Ruled Indigent

An attorney awaiting trial on drug charges will be eligible for court-appointed legal counsel because he cannot afford to hire his own lawyer, a Ventura County Superior Court judge ruled Monday.

Douglas Andrew Palaschak, accused of possessing LSD and furnishing it to a minor at his office in May, was declared indigent and will get an attorney paid for by the county, Judge James M. McNally said.

“He is well within the guidelines of indigency,� McNally said shortly after interviewing Palaschak in a closed meeting.

Palaschak’s trial had been scheduled to begin Dec. 17, but was postponed for several weeks when the judge learned of his problem retaining an attorney.

Palaschak requested that the public defender’s office represent him at the trial. His request prompted a financial inquiry by the county auditor to see if he is eligible, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Kim Gibbons.

Results of that inquiry were to be filed Monday, but the report was incomplete because Palaschak would not release his tax returns from last year and other critical documents, Gibbons said.

In his meeting with the judge Monday, Palaschak swore under oath that he did not have the funds for an attorney, McNally said. The judge granted his request.

Palaschak, 42, has also requested to be named co-counsel at his trial--a matter that McNally will decide on Jan. 6.

The trial on drug charges is set for Feb. 10.