Deputy Public Defender Arrested at Demonstration
A deputy public defender based at the San Fernando Courthouse was arrested at a demonstration against a white supremacist who was leading a meeting inside the Glendale Holiday Inn.
John Michael Lee, 41, a nine-year veteran of the Los Angeles County public defender’s office, was arrested on suspicion of failure to disperse during the Sunday demonstration against white supremacist J.B. Stoner.
No charge had been filed against Lee, who is scheduled to be arraigned in Glendale Municipal Court Dec. 18, said Bitner R. Winckler, deputy public defender in charge of the San Fernando office. The district attorney’s office has until then to file a charge, Winckler said.
Winckler said he is looking into whether Lee’s arrest creates a conflict of interest for the public defender’s office since it is defending several white supremacists arrested in the past few months.
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