A former Juneau chiropractor accused of sexual assault now has a public defender.
More than a dozen former patients have accused Jeffrey Fultz of sexual assault under the guise of medical care while he worked at Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium.
Last month, his trial ended in a mistrial on 14 counts of felony sexual assault, and two not guilty counts. The state is pushing forward to retry the remaining charges that are eligible to be considered again.
Fultz’s new lawyer will be a public defender. People accused of crimes are generally eligible for a public defender if they can’t afford a private lawyer.
At a hearing this week, state prosecutor Krystyn Tendy said that Fultz is living in an expensive home in Colorado that he purchased for $900,000, and his high housing payments don’t make him eligible for a public defender.
“He is choosing to spend over $5,500 a month on housing,” Tendy said. “I think there is a very, very big difference between somebody being unable to pay in terms of they’ve leveraged themselves, and somebody who is truly indigent.”
But Judge Larry Woolford ruled that he did qualify, despite his financial situation.
“It is certainly true that on paper, in some ways, the defendant is a man of some substance,” Woolford said. “It is also unquestionably true that he has for many years now been dealing with the legal consequences of the allegations against him, and that he has spent a significant amount of money doing so.”
Fultz disclosed that he has just under $200,000 in assets between his house and vehicles, but Woolford argued that those assets are not easy to sell to pay legal fees.
A status hearing, when all parties meet with the judge to determine next steps in a case, is scheduled for Oct. 15.
