Former child advocate Billy Carroll accused of assaulting young girls.
03:53 PM CDT on Friday, August 8, 2008
By CLARA TUMA / KVUE News
Former child advocate Billy Carroll will get a court-appointed lawyer. 
He is charged with sexually assaulting or improperly photographing young girls over the last 10 years.
There had been questions about whether Billy Carroll was really too poor to hire his own attorney.
But those questions seem to now be answered.
Attorney Bill Hines had been appointed to help Carroll only on the issue of whether he qualified for a court-appointed lawyer.
Carroll's divorce became final Friday, awarding all community property to his now ex-wife. Hines gave Judge Melissa Goodwin the newly signed divorce decree -- which awards Carroll only a 2006 Sequoia, worth about $9,000. However, Carroll owes more than $20,000 on the vehicle. After hearing that, Judge Goodwin declared Carroll indigent and appointed Bill Hines as his attorney in the criminal cases.
Prosecutor Joe Frederick said the state will keep an eye on Carroll's finances, and will ask him to repay the state for his attorney if it turns out he's not as poor as he says he is.
Billy Carroll is accused of sexually assault a number of young girls over the years. They say he frequently blindfolded them and then videotaped the assaults.
The attorney for Carroll says he is looking at filing a motion for a change of venue in the case because of news coverage surrounding it. He also says a plea bargain is always a possibility.
