Video Transcript: ADA Ellis, Coroner Howell, and the Conflict Nobody Wants to Talk About

Transcript of our video commentary — watch the full video above.

On August 14th, our reporter Nicole Hallman published an article about Wayne County Assistant District Attorney Brendan Ellis quietly representing County Coroner Edward Howell in a civil case — the same coroner whose death investigations feed directly into the criminal cases the DA’s office prosecutes.

The article reached over 45,000 eyes, was shared 27 times, and generated around 30 comments. After reading through those comments, we wanted to follow up with a discussion — because some of the responses raised fair points, and some of them missed the point entirely.

The Short Version

For anyone who hasn’t read the original article, here’s what happened.

Two Waymart residents filed a ten-thousand-dollar civil complaint against Coroner Edward Howell and his business in small claims court. Eleven days later, ADA Brendan Ellis — a sitting prosecutor in the Wayne County DA’s office — entered an appearance as Howell’s private attorney. Twenty-seven days after that, the case was withdrawn. No hearing. No judgment. Gone.

The question is simple — why is a sitting prosecutor personally representing the same coroner whose findings his office depends on to bring criminal charges? When the prosecutor and the coroner are personally entangled, you can’t trust the finding going in — or the charging decision coming out.

The Defense

Now let’s talk about what people said.

The main defense we saw was: Ellis is allowed to maintain a private practice. He can take clients. It’s in the statute. There’s nothing illegal here.

Not so fast. The very next day, on August 15th, Nicole published a follow-up showing Ellis has been classified as a full-time prosecutor since 2024, which changes the rules.

And here’s the bigger picture. As of 2012, only three of Pennsylvania’s 67 district attorneys are still part-time — in small rural counties. Every other DA office in the state is full-time. And the statute says full-time prosecutors shall not engage in any private practice and must be completely disassociated with any firm.

The DA in Clearfield County — a rural county smaller than Wayne — puts a disclaimer on every public statement he makes reminding people he doesn’t practice privately. That’s how seriously some offices take this. Meanwhile in Wayne County, the ADA is entering appearances in small claims court for the coroner.

And for those who will say “Ellis is an ADA, not a DA — the statute doesn’t apply to him” — Ellis is operating in a gray area that most offices close voluntarily. Wayne County apparently doesn’t bother to address it.

But let’s set that aside for a minute. Let’s give them everything they want. Let’s say it’s technically allowed.

Even if that’s true — it doesn’t matter. Here’s why.

The Real Problem

Every criminal case that relied on a coroner finding from Edward Howell — every drug death, every suspicious death, every case that went through that office — now has an opening. A defense attorney can stand up in court and argue that the coroner’s findings were compromised. That his independence was gone because of a personal relationship with the prosecutor’s office.

That’s not speculation. That’s how appeals work.

And if even one of those challenges sticks, the county — meaning the taxpayers — pays for it. Long, expensive appeals. Maybe overturned convictions. All because Brendan Ellis couldn’t draw the line between what he’s allowed to do and what creates a conflict of interest.

The Small Town Defense

The other defense we heard: it’s a small town. Only so many lawyers around here. Who else was Howell going to call?

First of all — Honesdale is the county seat. We looked it up. You search for lawyers in the area, over twenty come up. Howell had options.

And actually — while we were scrolling through that list — one name jumped out. Matthew Meagher, Esquire. Listed as a private practicing attorney. That’s a sitting Wayne County judge listed in the Yellow Pages as a lawyer for hire. But that’s a story for another day.

Anyways, let’s talk about what this case actually was.

A ten-thousand-dollar civil claim. That’s small claims. That’s the kind of case people handle on their own every single day without a lawyer. You show up, you bring your paperwork, you make your case. That’s it.

But the Wayne County Coroner couldn’t do that. He needed a sitting assistant district attorney to defend him. Over a small claim in small claims court.

The Question Nobody Asked

If Howell truly couldn’t find any other lawyer — if he absolutely needed the one attorney in the county who happens to prosecute criminal cases based on his coroner findings — then maybe the problem isn’t who represented him.

Maybe the problem is that he’s still coroner.

If your private business creates conflicts with your county office — if you can’t even defend a small claim without pulling a prosecutor into it — then maybe you shouldn’t hold the office.

The Withdrawal

And one more thing.

Two Waymart residents thought they had a case — enough to take it to court. Twenty-seven days after a sitting county prosecutor showed up on the other side, they dropped it.

A source with direct knowledge of the proceedings told the Pocono Review that when Ellis showed up to represent Howell, it was intimidating. That seeing a county prosecutor sitting across from them changed the entire dynamic.

We can’t speak to why the case was withdrawn. But we can tell you that the people on the other side of that courtroom felt the weight of who was sitting there. And that should bother everyone.

The docket is embedded above. The question is why nobody in Wayne County’s legal establishment thinks any of this is worth addressing.

Related coverage:

If you have information related to this story, contact us at tips@poconoreview.com.

ADA Ellis, Coroner Howell, and the Conflict Nobody Wants to Talk About — A Commentary