Colquitt County, Georgia

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Circuit Public Defender's Office

Don T. Lyles

Colquitt County Courthouse, Suite 105
9 South Main Street
Moultrie, GA 31768

Phone: (229) 616-7070
Fax: (229) 616-7067

Main Office Mailing Address
Southern Circuit Public Defender Office
P. O. Box 1586
Valdosta, GA 31603-1586

Office Hours: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Monday - Friday

Closed on all major holidays

Purpose: During the 2003 Session of the General Assembly, the legislature passed the Georgia Indigent Defense Act of 2003 that created the Georgia Public Defender Standards Council and made the Standards Council responsible for the operation of the system for providing representation for indigents in criminal cases in all courts in Georgia. This system envisioned a partnership between the State government and local governments. The State provides a circuit public defender office in 46 judicial circuits in Georgia and staffs it with 1 attorney for each superior court judge and with 2 administrative positions and 1investigator. These offices provide representation in the superior court and in the juvenile court (delinquency proceedings only). The counties in the circuit provide the office space and pay the costs.

The appointed Circuit Public Defender responsible for serving the Southern Judicial Circuit is John Kent Edwards, Sr.

The Circuit includes Brooks, Colquitt, Echols, Lowndes, and Thomas Counties. The main office is located in Valdosta, Georgia. The satellite offices are in Moultrie and Thomasville.

The staff that serves Colquitt County in addition to the Circuit Public Defender includes Jon McClure (Assistant Public Defender), Don Lyles (Assistant Public Defender), Melanie Hickman (Administrative Assistant), and Don Allen (Investigator).