VENTURA : Defense Lawyer Is in an Unlikely Spot

One of the best-known defense attorneys in Ventura County found himself in an unlikely spot Tuesday afternoon: in the witness box, testifying for the prosecution.

Harrison M. Dunham, former Ventura County public defender and now head of a group of private defense attorneys, was testifying against a man charged with burglarizing his home in October.

James Avants, 34, is accused of breaking into Dunham’s apartment in the Hawaiian Gardens complex in Ventura and stealing $240, a watch and a ring.

Dunham said he was awakened about 4 a.m. by a light outside his bedroom and then noticed that his front door was open. He said he found Avants standing in his kitchen, but the intruder left peacefully and Dunham called police.

A few hours later, police called Dunham and asked him to identify a man who had been found sleeping in a yard a few blocks from the attorney’s home. Dunham identified Avants as the intruder, and Avants was arrested. The watch and ring were recovered.

After testifying, Dunham said his status as a crime victim posed problems in finding an attorney for Avants. The public defender’s office had a conflict of interest because Dunham used to be in charge. Conflict Defense Associates, a group of private attorneys who work for the county on a contract basis, normally handles such situations, but the group also had a conflict since Dunham runs it.

So Superior Court Judge Frederick A. Jones appointed Oxnard attorney Joseph D. O’Neill to represent Avants.

The night after the burglary, Dunham said he opened his refrigerator and found out why the man had passed out on the lawn: “He drank all my wine.”