PCRA Counsel • Withdrawal of Counsel
Commonwealth v. Echols, PICS Case No. 16-1230 (C.P. Lackawanna Sept. 15, 2016) Nealon, J. (memorandum) (15 pages).
After causing a domestic violence event that called for police intervention, a charge that was later dropped, a state parole violator was found with drug paraphernalia. On two occasions he evaded police, the second after physical apprehension, from which he escaped. Pleading guilty to drug possession, he was finally charged with escape/detained on felony charge which went to jury trial, with defendant alternating between defense via counsel and pro se. Following conviction, he proceeded with new counsel to allege the insufficiency of trial counsel. Court-appointed PCRA counsel filed a petition to withdraw as counsel, which the court approved. Defendant was notified of the intent to dismiss the PCRA petition.
