Defense lawyer coaxed into staying on the case

Defense lawyer David Plowden set out this morning for the Oconee Courthouse to opt out of a case in which he represents a man charged with multiple drug law violations, including some that have been linked to the “Las Senoritas” cases.  Plowden wanted to take advantage of a ruling that allows attorneys over the age of 65 to turn down court-appointed cases.  However, while sympathetic, Judge Lawton McIntosh said Plowden is a fine lawyer and the lack of attorneys who will accept defense appointments makes Plowden’s participation important.  The lawyer promised the judge, “I can do it and I will do it.”  Plowden is one of two lawyers for Tony Eugene McCoy, whose cases the judge wants handled because the oldest of them dates back four years.  McIntosh wants McCoy to decide soon whether he’ll enter a plea or request a jury trial.  The situation is a quandary for McCoy because, at the age of 58, the state’s offer of a 25-year prison sentence in exchange for a guilty plea would be tantamount to a life sentence.  As McCoy put it, “I don’t have 25 years in my life.”