County commissioners discuss finances, pending capital case

The Stephens County Commissioners held a workshop Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 13 and discussed their budget for the upcoming fiscal year, as well as fiscal situation going into 2020. They also discussed the impending costs of the capital trial that could be coming to their county in the near future.

Capital crime trials have proven to be an expensive venture for counties, and the case involving Paxton Sullivan looks to be no different. Officials from the county also have made it clear the case has the potential to be in the county’s budget for years to come, depending on how the trial and appeal process plays out.

The problem the county faces is the cost of it all. Trials involving capital crimes can often run north of $1 million. Stephens County has a sort of insurance policy through an agency, the Regional Public Defender for Capital Cases, based in Lubbock, who they pay $2,498 into every year for situations like this. This policy helps cover the attorney fees for the defendant.

But that isn’t all the charges that exist. Other charges related to a capital crime trial can include bringing in witnesses, experts and evaluations. Court reporter documents are also an additional fee. In total, the pending case could cost the county around $500,000. County Judge Michael Roach said they are planning on applying for grants to potentially help offset anywhere between $100,000 and $200,000 of the cost.

The court is also considering taking out a line of credit that they will pay back over time. This is also partially because the court has less than $100,000 in reserves, which could cover the county’s expenses for a little more than a week of time. It was recommended by the auditors present at the workshop that the county have at least three months worth of expenses in reserves, which would amount to about $1.25 million for Stephens County.

As it stands, there is still a gag order set on the case involving Sullivan and no documents related to the investigation have been made public. There is also no trial set at the moment, as the investigation is still pending.

The Breckenridge American will continue to report and update the public as we learn more about the case.