Antonio Pope appeared in court Thursday for what was supposed to be a plea hearing detailing punishments for his alleged sexual assault of two women near the UW-Madison campus last semester.
However, Pope was not convicted of any charges because he decided the day before to fire the lawyer representing him, Dennis Burke, a state public defender.
Burke said Pope had been in frequent contact with family and friends, and they came to the decision of hiring a lawyer from California for approximately $34,000. He said Pope and his relatives found the law firm on the Internet, and that the firm told Pope it could save him from imprisonment.
""They promised [Mr. Pope] a number of things that I consider outrageous,"" Burke said, adding that he was ready to enter a plea Thursday to help everyone involved in the case move on with their lives. ""I apologize to the state, the court and to the victims.""
Judge Robert DeChambeau is presiding over the case, and he accepted Pope's decision to pursue another lawyer, but questioned Pope's motives. He said he would be ""hard pressed to find a more competent council than Mr. Burke.""
Pope remained silent with his head down through much of the court hearing, only nodding and mumbling ""yes"" to the few questions asked by the judge. DeChambeau rescheduled the next hearing for June, but warned Pope that a decision would be reached at that time.
""You aren't going to go through this dog-and-pony show again,"" DeChambeau said to Pope.
District Attorney Karie Cattanach, the prosecuting attorney in this case, agreed with the judge and said she did not understand why Pope wanted a new lawyer.
""I don't know why anyone would want to fire Denny Burke,"" she said.
Pope has a history of being in trouble with the police. Last semester, just weeks before he allegedly committed the two cases of sexual assault on campus, he had a run-in with police that resulted in an obstructing an officer citation.
The first assault occurred Nov. 29, 2006, when Pope allegedly abducted a female UW-Madison student on Observatory Drive, took the victim to an off-campus location and violently assaulted her.
A little more than a week after the first rape, Pope was suspected in a second abduction and assault on Carroll Street. Police instantly drew parallels and eventually arrested Pope as a result of DNA evidence.
Currently, Pope faces two counts for each of the following—kidnapping, first degree sexual assault and armed robbery with the use of force—for his alleged role in each case. For the time being, he will remain in Dane County jail.
