Wharton County leaders voted Monday on hiring veteran attorney Overzenia Ojuri to lead a new regional public defender’s office serving Wharton and Matagorda counties. Ojuri, a Roswell, New Mexico native with 35 years of experience, currently heads the mental health division in Fort Bend County’s public defender office. She was unanimously recommended by an oversight board for her success opening similar offices across Texas. If approved, Ojuri will start in early April after wrapping up her current cases, with Wharton County managing the state grant funding the new program.