Court Opinion

ID: 9734433
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 17:34:48.819463+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:26:48.578471
License: Public Domain

*100SPAETH, Judge,
dissenting:
Among the claims raised by appellant on this appeal is the claim that his preliminary hearing counsel was ineffective in not calling a certain witness to testify on appellant’s behalf. Since counsel at the preliminary hearing was a member of the same Public Defender office as is his present appellate counsel, and since we cannot conclude that counsel’s ineffectiveness is clearly demonstrated on the record, this case should be remanded so that appellant may obtain counsel unconnected with the Public Defender’s office. See Commonwealth v. Patrick, 477 Pa. 284, 383 A.2d 935 (1978); Commonwealth v. Wright, 473 Pa. 395, 374 A.2d 1272 (1972). It is therefore improper for this court to consider the merits of either the claim of ineffective counsel or the other claims raised by appellant on this appeal.
The case should be remanded with instructions.