New Macon Circuit Public Defender appointed

Interim Macon Judicial Circuit Public Defender Rick Waller was appointed Friday to permanently head the office which represents indigent people accused of crimes in Bibb, Crawford and Peach counties.

Waller, the office's chief assistant public defender since 2005, had led the office since longtime Public Defender Lee Robinson's death in November.

Georgia Public Defender Council Executive Director Bryan Tyson issued a memo Friday announcing Waller's appointment, saying, "I am confident that the knowledge and skill he exercised during his time as Macon's Chief APD and as Interim CPD will continue to be an asset to our team and our clients as he assumes the Circuit Public Defender position."

Prior to his working in the Macon Judicial Circuit office, Waller was an assistant public defender in Houston County. He'd also worked in private practice for eight years, according to the memo.

Waller graduated from the University of South Florida in Tampa with a degree in finance and later earned his law degree at Mercer University's Walter F. George School of Law.

Contacted Friday, Waller said, "I am excited to have the opportunity to continue the good work that Lee started."

Waller was chosen after an interview and from a list of recommendations prepared by the Macon Circuit Public Defender Supervisory Committee, an appointed group of three Macon lawyers who sorted through applications for the position.

Information from Telegraph archives was used in this report. To contact writer Amy Leigh Womack, call 744-4398 or find her on Twitter@awomackmacon.

This story was originally published January 29, 2016 at 12:08 PM with the headline "New Macon Circuit Public Defender appointed ."