Public defender reportedly leaving
COEUR d’ALENE — John Adams is retiring after nearly 21 years as Kootenai County’s chief public defender.
Why now, nobody’s saying.
Adams’ last day of work will be today, according to a news release from the county’s Board of Commissioners. The release did not mention why Adams’ retirement is starting so soon, and Adams didn’t respond to email and phone
interview requests from The Press.
For months, Adams and his staff have been trying to remove the death penalty as possible punishment for Jonathan Renfro, who awaits trial in the May 2015 death of Coeur d’Alene Police Sgt. Greg Moore.
Adams and his staff are also representing Kyle Odom, accused of shooting Pastor Tim Remington of The Altar Church one year ago. Other high-profile cases for Adams include the double-homicide by then-14-year-old Eldon Samuel of his father and brother, and the Joseph Duncan III slayings of members of the Groene family.
Adams has headed up nearly 30 murder cases for the county and at least eight death-penalty cases.
“Kootenai County has been privileged to have him at the helm for so many years and we wish him good luck and Godspeed in his future endeavors,” the commissioners’ press release states. “He has soldiered on despite receiving threats of death, arrest, and an attempt to fire him.”
That threat to fire him came from the Kootenai County Board of Commissioners in 2013 — a decision they quickly rescinded after an outpouring of support for Adams from across the state.
A 2010 report on Idaho’s public defense system from the National Legal Aid and Defenders Association applauded Adams for his work at the helm of the county’s public defense office.
“[T]he public defender office maintains the most client-centered approach to representation of any Idaho system we observed during our study,” the 2010 report states. “They are litigious, and as a result, the office has more cases on appeal than the larger Ada County public defender office. Adams is justifiably proud of the zealous advocacy provided by his attorneys on behalf of their clients.”
Before he took up the cause of indigent defense, Adams served on active duty in the U.S. Navy. That background, according to the release, fortified him with the tenacity he carried forth in his career.
In 2014, Adams received the ACLU Dave Judy Civil Rights Service Award for his commitment and service to advancing the fundamental principles that have championed the cause for civil rights in Idaho. That award was in addition to the 2013 Idaho State Bar Professionalism Award, the Idaho State Bar Outstanding Service Award 2009, Idaho Health & Welfare Child and Family Services Award, and many others.
Adams, the release adds, is a past president of the Idaho Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys and served as a board member on gubernatorial task forces under three different Idaho governors.
“Adams’ impact on the criminal justice system will be felt long after his departure,” the release states.