Public Defender's Office

Thomas Severin is absolute garbage. No communication whatsoever. He told me do not leave a voicemail because he won't check it and to send an email instead. Well I sent an email and no response for over 2 MONTHS. Apparently nobody there knows how to answer a damn phone. Called 5 times a day for a week and nothing.

Tom severn is the worst. He doesn't communicate at all. The front desk attendees don't know how to answer a phone. By far the worst group of people to have helping you.

Wow ... have to say Thank God the secretary who answers the phone isnt a true reflection of the Public Defenders office. Although that person is the first contact you encounter when you do call and on that level alone should at least be professional, courteous & if able to provide information, do so. I recently contacted the office to help a family member who knew when they went to court, would be immediately going to jail from court. It seems like this isnt such a big deal to some, for us it is. Our family member was willingly answering for their behavior as it should be & we the family, are there to be supportive without enabling. That being said, I called the office simply to clarify the correct person & spelling of whom would be representing our family member. I had no intention of speaking to this person, it was simply a clarification to assist our family member who was doing what they needed to prepare to enter jail. I cant imagine all the big & little things I would be worrying about in addition to whom they are leaving & what hardships those of our family will have to bear. Nobody really goes to jail alone, its just a different form of sentence. At least I hope & pray that a person has a family or support system that works with them. I cant imagine the feeling if completely alone. In calling the office, the woman who answered the phone was absolutely unwilling to work with me even after clearly expressing that I didnt want nor intend to speak with this person was simply looking for the correct name & spelling. She simply would not help me instead somewhat rudely, informed me that our family member should be responsible and call themselves. Im sorry, did I miss something or did it somehow become wrong or improper to assist our family member as they DO take responsibility? My intention in writing this isnt to "get someone in trouble" or seek an apology but rather to remind those that work in this field that this isnt a daily thing for us or for some could possibly be their first time down this path. We call to help our family member yes but maybe also seeking some understanding of the process. As for me, it IS my first time walking down this path and I truly hope that this woman was simply having a bad day rather than a reflection of the whole process. If so I could now maybe understand others and their frustrations in coping and seeking clear information. Id like to still believe in the judicial process and to please ask those who DO work in this field to simply remember that we DON'T all know the process and if we're reaching out to you it's for no other reason except to understand and support our family members to become stable, accept responsibility and then move on to make better choices in the future because on some level we ARE all in this together to hopefully make it a better place for all. What we put out returns in the same and simple kindness still incredibly goes much farther than we ever know and costs nothing to dispense. Thank you.

The lady at the front desk is beyond hateful. As I try to piece my life back together, she was rude, mean, and wouldn't answer my questions without a hateful response. I feel bad for her, as she lives such a negative life having hate put onto others.

Just seemed like he had better things he wanted to do.