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Office of the Public Defender withdraws as counsel for cop
The preliminary hearing in the case against Police Officer 1 Carl Kohler Tudela did not push through yesterday after the Office of the Public Defender withdrew as his counsel due to conflict of interest.
Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho granted assistant public defender Matthew Meyer’s motion to withdraw and reset the preliminary hearing for tomorrow, Thursday, at 9am.
After telling the court that their office has a conflict of interest, Meyers asked for a sidebar discussion. Camacho granted the motion and told Tudela that a private counsel will be appointed as his new counsel.
Tudela, 38, has been in jail since his March 6 arrest after failing to post a $100,000 cash bail. He was arrested for allegedly buying methamphetamine or “ice” and is being held on charges of possession of a controlled substance and misconduct in public office.
Office of the Attorney General investigator George F. David stated in his report that the Office of the Attorney General’s Investigation Division, Drug Enforcement Agency Task Force, and the Department of Public Safety’s Criminal Bureau of Investigation jointly investigated Tudela’s drug activities.
David said information gathered by AGID indicates that Tudela’s activities involve smoking and purchasing “ice” while on or off duty.
