SB County names public defender

Thomas Sone has been named San Bernardino County’s public defender.

Sone, who joined the public defender’s office in 2001 after working for a private law firm, was named the county’s interim public defender in December, according to a statement on the county’s website.

He is the county’s first public defender of Asian American and Pacific Islander descent.

Sone has litigated felony cases, trained newer attorneys, assigned cases, participated in community programs, and collaborated with various agencies.

“The public defender’s office and this county hold a very special place in my heart,” Sone said in the statement. “For the past 20 years within the department, I’ve grown not just professionally but also as a person.

“Both the leadership of this department as well as this county have shaped who I’ve become.”