Embezzlement case against top executive at Portland ad firm dissolves due to dearth of public defenders

Public defender shortage mounts

Twin sets of doors lead to the misdemeanor and felony arraignment courtrooms inside the Multnomah County Justice Center.Zane Sparling/The Oregonian

Oregon’s ongoing public-defense crisis has ended the embezzlement case against a Portland advertising executive.

After three failed attempts over four months to find a court-appointed attorney for Isaac Lee Morris, a Multnomah County Circuit judge dismissed all charges Thursday against the former chief product officer for Thesis, a digital marketing and ad agency based in Portland.

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