Case tracking archived
From Cannabis Defense Coalition
For current cases, see Case tracking.
City of Auburn v. Garret Snyder
Pulled over by Auburn Police on February 5, 2009 for texting while at a stop light. Was arrested for possession of 16 ounces of medical marijuana belonging to his mother, an authorized patient. He is her designated provider, but did not have that documentation at the time of arrest. He received a medical marijuana authorization ten days after the arrest.
Garrett Snyder took a deferred prosecution with $595 fine and ~$100 drug class.
Clark v. Sid Delaplane
He is 62 and she is 65. Growing for himself, plants in his back yard, 15 plants. Had cut down about a dozen before. Had a couple other patients growing with them. Has a public defender.
King v. Nate Berger
Court: King Co Superior Ct Case Number: 09-1-03157-2
- **08-31-2009 Jdgmt & Ord Suspnd Sent, Grnt Prob Guilty Plea for posession of >40gms marijuana
His ex-girlfriend is Tiffanie Connors -- the one w/ the vienna convention on her docket for the same Vucsa charges of 300+ plants, meth and paraphernalia. They are offering them both a plea of misdemeanor of 40 grams possession, manufacturing and paraphernalia, 2 years deferment of charges if not caught growing, and fines.
King v. Tiffanie Connors
- Case number: 09-1-03158-1
- King County Superior, Kent Regional Justice Center
- **08-31-2009 Jdgmt & Ord Suspnd Sent, Grnt Prob Guilty Plea for posession of >40gms marijuana
Pulled over last Thanksgiving after leaving Muckleshoot Casino and being followed by police. Cop smelled pot, searched them, found pot and a small amount of methamphetamine. They also had a digital camera with photos of marijuana plants. Spent 2-3 nights in jail, and their kid went with relatives. CPS was doing a well-child check some time later, and showed up at boyfriend's parents house. Boyfriend's sister directed them to their (grow) house, and CPS showed up with police backup. Police claimed to smell marijuana, searched the house, and found around 300 plants.
King v. Kish
Kish was stopped for a traffic violation, arrested for cannabis possession. CDC attended trial. Prosecutor agreed to 6-month deferment moments before trial after reviewing medical records, which indicate defendant had severe heart-related health issues, and decided the case was not in line with their prosecutorial policies. Kish agreed to pay $120 monitoring fee and a $100 penalty.
King v. Scott Verner
- Case number: 509EX2609
- Tuesday, December 15, 2009, 8:45 a.m., King County District Court, 516 3rd Ave. Seattle, Room E-338, 206-205-9200 (court appearance detail, court location & contact info, map
- Attorney: Aaron Pelley
Kitsap v. Glenn Musgrove
On April 8, 2009, Kitsap prosecutors dropped all charges against Glenn and his two caregivers. See:
Kitsap prosecutor drops medical pot charges
http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/kitsap/poi/news/42695547.html
From cdc-alerts list:
On Wednesday, during the Olson trial, we learned of yet another medical marijuana case Russ Hauge is prosecuting. The man, a quadripligic patient named Glenn Musgrove, was wheeled into court ON A GURNEY. At some point before his hearing, Mr. Musgrove indicated he was cold, so the blanket was drawn over his face, causing passers by to mistake him for a cadaver.
His attorney, Lorne Grier, said he knew of us because of last week's "jury tainting" foolishness, and refused to discuss any details of the case for fear of judicial reprisal. The case number is 08-1-00937-6 and was filed last August. A status hearing is scheduled for March 27, and we hope to find courtroom observers who can bear witness and gather data.
Kitsap v. Bruce Olson
This came from a hemp-talk post of April 18, 2008 from Paul Stanford.
Medical marijuana patient Pam Olson has been arrested and charged with illegal cultivation of marijuana, even though she had her physician's authorization to possess, use and grow cannabis. Pam and her husband Bruce are both authorized medical marijuana patients. Both have been indicted, but they are being tried separately, and Pam's trial begins first on Monday morning, April 21st in Kitsap County Court in Port Orchard, WA.
Pam Olson is a very ill lady who probably doesn't have much more time to live.
We request the medical marijuana community's support. Pam's attorney, Scott Moriarty of Tacoma, asks that those who can dress appropriately and act respectfully come to the court in Port Orchard to show support. On Monday, April 21st, the court will address pretrial motions and a jury will be chosen. Moriarty anticipates that the prosecution will present their case on Tuesday, April 22nd and that he will present the defense on Wednesday morning, April 23rd. Moriarty has scheduled Dr. Thomas Orvald and I to testify on Wednesday morning.
Pam Olsen had no usable cannabis when arrested. She and her husband were attempting their first crop, when an informant led the West-Net Drug Task Force to search them. She and her husband had a total of 12 flowering plants that were three feet tall, and 18 little cuttings that were less than a eight inches tall, which is less than recommended by THCF Medical Clinic. Bruce and Pam Olsen had no usable cannabis at the time of their arrest.
Upon entry to Bruce and Pam's home, the police poisoned their dogs, costing $2,000 in vet bills to save them.
To finance their legal defense, the Olson's had to sell their home of 20 years. They now live in a RV parked on a friend's property.
Dr. Orvald and THCF Medical Clinics have never billed a patient to testify, ever. We are donating our time and efforts for the defense of the Olsons too. We have turned down their offers to pay us.
Two weeks ago Dr. Orvald and I went to be interviewed by the prosecuting attorney in Port Orchard. We were both questioned separately for two hours each. Based upon that, we anticipated that this trial would be dismissed and the Olsons charges dropped. We are very surprised that the Kitsap County prosecutor is continuing to trial, though they know from our interviews that the Olsons had no usable marijuana and that the number of plants was less than that recommended by our clinic.
When I went to Port Orchard last week, it was the first time I had been in the Kitsap County Courthouse since 1982, when I was tried as one of the Bangor 6, charged with blocking the white train carrying hydrogen bomb warheads to the submarine base in Bangor, WA on March 22, 1982.
Please come to the Kitsap County Courthouse next week to show your support for the Pam Olson and for Washington's medical marijuana law. I hope to see you there.
- Court: Kitsap Superior
- Case Number: 07-1-00766-9 (Pam)
- Case Number: 07-1-00765-1 (Bruce)
Kitsap v. Monte Levine and Marc Derenzy
From cdc-alerts, April 16, 2009:
On Wednesday, prosecutors in Kitsap County dropped all charges against Monte Levine and Marc Derenzy. Report from Monte:
"Yesterday my partner Marc and i went into Kitsap Superior Court. I had been scheduled for an Omnibus Hearing on the charge of Manufacturing Marijuana. Instead we picked up the Order of Dismissal. We stood in front of newly elected judge Olson, who smiled broadly as she signed our orders.
"The prosecution stated that it was not in the best interest of justice to pursue this case. We were told that the Kitsap Prosecutors will meet and confer before moving forward with any manufacturing case that involves marijuana.
"I want to thank all of you who came out here to Kitsap to sit in court. It has had an effect as can be seen by the dropping of two mmj cases in Kitsap recently."
Kitsap v. Pam Olson
Pam Olson plead guilty out of fear that she would go to prison. She accepted a felony conviction, and in exchange, received home monitoring instead of prison.
This came from a hemp-talk post of April 18, 2008 from Paul Stanford.
Medical marijuana patient Pam Olson has been arrested and charged with illegal cultivation of marijuana, even though she had her physician's authorization to possess, use and grow cannabis. Pam and her husband Bruce are both authorized medical marijuana patients. Both have been indicted, but they are being tried separately, and Pam's trial begins first on Monday morning, April 21st in Kitsap County Court in Port Orchard, WA.
Pam Olson is a very ill lady who probably doesn't have much more time to live.
We request the medical marijuana community's support. Pam's attorney, Scott Moriarty of Tacoma, asks that those who can dress appropriately and act respectfully come to the court in Port Orchard to show support. On Monday, April 21st, the court will address pretrial motions and a jury will be chosen. Moriarty anticipates that the prosecution will present their case on Tuesday, April 22nd and that he will present the defense on Wednesday morning, April 23rd. Moriarty has scheduled Dr. Thomas Orvald and I to testify on Wednesday morning.
Pam Olsen had no usable cannabis when arrested. She and her husband were attempting their first crop, when an informant led the West-Net Drug Task Force to search them. She and her husband had a total of 12 flowering plants that were three feet tall, and 18 little cuttings that were less than a eight inches tall, which is less than recommended by THCF Medical Clinic. Bruce and Pam Olsen had no usable cannabis at the time of their arrest.
Upon entry to Bruce and Pam's home, the police poisoned their dogs, costing $2,000 in vet bills to save them.
To finance their legal defense, the Olson's had to sell their home of 20 years. They now live in a RV parked on a friend's property.
Dr. Orvald and THCF Medical Clinics have never billed a patient to testify, ever. We are donating our time and efforts for the defense of the Olsons too. We have turned down their offers to pay us.
Two weeks ago Dr. Orvald and I went to be interviewed by the prosecuting attorney in Port Orchard. We were both questioned separately for two hours each. Based upon that, we anticipated that this trial would be dismissed and the Olsons charges dropped. We are very surprised that the Kitsap County prosecutor is continuing to trial, though they know from our interviews that the Olsons had no usable marijuana and that the number of plants was less than that recommended by our clinic.
When I went to Port Orchard last week, it was the first time I had been in the Kitsap County Courthouse since 1982, when I was tried as one of the Bangor 6, charged with blocking the white train carrying hydrogen bomb warheads to the submarine base in Bangor, WA on March 22, 1982.
Please come to the Kitsap County Courthouse next week to show your support for the Pam Olson and for Washington's medical marijuana law. I hope to see you there.
- Court: Kitsap Superior
- Case Number: 07-1-00766-9 (Pam)
- Case Number: 07-1-00765-1 (Bruce)
Kitsap v. Robert Dalton
This came from a hemp-talk post of April 16, from Martin Martinez. He wrote:
"A man named Robert Dalton is facing trial currently set for May 27th. He is a qualified medical marijuana patient who was found with a number of outdoor plants. There is no evidence of sale or distribution. There is a lot of evidence that he uses marijuana as medicine. The police say he had too many plants, but they do not have any understanding of how many plants it takes to supply a patient's needs, nor do they have any idea how many plants may be needed to foster a breeding program. Worse than that, the evidence has been ruined by mold, so they don't even have the evidence they should have to convict the man. So why is Kitsap County prosecuting a man who is apparently covered by RCW: 69.51A? Because he owns around a quarter million dollars worth of land not far from the Kitsap County Courthouse, and they can take his land if they can disqualify his medical rights. Why do you think we call it "Kidnap County"?"
"If you don't do anything else to help marijuana patients in WA, please take the time to do this now:"
"Robert Dalton's next hearing is next Tuesday. If many people call tomorrow and Monday, concerned about wasting time and money prosecuting a valid marijuana patient at a time when Kitsap County has serious homicide cases on the docket (like the lesbian stabbing now in the press), the County prosecutors office may well dismiss this case before it goes to trial. If no one calls to apply pressure on the prosecutor, then it is likely to be a headline-making trial next month. If that happens, then I will be asking for people to come witness the circus. In any event, I will be doing everything I can do to help protect marijuana patients in trouble with the law, as I have done for the last ten years."
"Here is the prosecutor's name and phone number: Russ Hauge (pronounced howgy) is at: 360-337-7174. Please call and let him know we are watching and waiting to see what he will do. By the way, the Associated Press is also watching and waiting to see what will happen in this preciden-setting case."
Okanogan v. Marcie Pier
Her recommendation was from Dr. Leveque (who wasn't licensed in Washington). She now has a recommendation from Dr. Orvald. Police came in last summer of fall. She had about twenty plants, and they took samples. They left all plants and equipment, allowing her to continue growing. In December, she received papers charging her with manufacture. They've never come back, never seized her plants, never told her to stop growing medical marijuana.
Case #08-1-00298-3.
Okanogan County Courthouse, 149 3rd Ave N, Okanogan, WA 98840
Update August 3, 2009 - Marcie Pier pled to a lesser charge of obstructing a police officer, a misdemeanor. She received no time, no community service and no fines. She has one year probation.
Pierce v. Michael Byers
From cdc-alerts, April 17, 2009:
We received word earlier today Pierce County prosecutors dropped charges against medical marijuana patient Michael Byers. Mr. Byers has been arrested three times since 2004 for growing medical marijuana. His 2004 arrest led to a felony conviction, his 2005 arrest was dismissed without prejudice, and his 2006 case resulted in a hung jury last year.
Immediately after the hung jury, prosecutors refiled the 2006 case. Later in the year, they refiled the 2005 case. Five years into his groundhog day ordeal with Pierce County, it appears that someone sent a memo saying: would you kindly stop raiding this guy's home.
Congratulations Michael. They may have ruined your life and thrown you in the poor house, but maybe they'll stop visiting you every so often with guns drawn. Sigh. Get some rest.
Case numbers are 06-1044730 and 05-10340388.
Pierce v. Vito Latinta
On June 27, police showed up at Vito's home and told him that someone had called "the hotline" and reported that his home smelled of marijuana. Vito told them they couldn't come in, and the officers said yes they can, they'll break down the door if they have to, they'll take his kids away in handcuffs. He showed them his medical marijuana recommendation, and up to ten police officers looked it over rather thoroughly before telling him "this doesn't mean a damn thing."
After entering his home, the officers obtained a search warrant. They took his 8 blooming plants and 17 starts, his grow lights, ballasts, pH meter and assorted equipment. Apparantly, they also found firearms. They did not arrest him.
Vito plead guilty to marijuana possession, received an $1,800 fine, one day in jail, 240 hours of community service, and felony conviction.
Snohomish v. Eric Mevis
Mr. Mevis has mandibular dystonia. He can't talk and must keep a drool rag handy, he has no control over what happens with his jaw/mouth. He communicates texting sorta thing like an electronic dictionary and knows basic sign language. Douglas Hiatt is representing Mr. Mevis. Next hearing is June 18, 2009.
Case stemed from a driving while suspended license, but DoL had his address completely wrong, sent notice of suspension there and 3 days later sent notice that "our records indicate that it is no longer suspended" but the officer wasn't interested in anything other than what first appeared on his screen - the bad addy. Patient had half a gram of medicine.
From Doug. Filed in District or Lynnwood Municipal.
Snohomish County District Court, South Division, 20520 68th Ave. W, Lynnwood, WA 98036.
Case numbers C00016828 and C00016829. Filed Jan 2, 2009.
Update August 3, 2009: Eric Mevis plead guilty to the driving with suspended license charge, even though it wasn't really suspended. His marijuana charge was dropped. He received a $500 fine.
Snohomish v. Lennon Garon
Lennon is the son of Tim Garon, who died after being denied a transplant because of his medical marijuana use. Doug is working on this case. Was growing with Matt Dir.
Court: Snohomish County Superior Case Number: 08-1-02204-2
Snohomish v. Matt Dir
Court: Snohomish Superior Case Number: 08-1-01986-6
Companion to Lennon Garon case.
Thurston v. Wanzer
- Case number: 09-1-00758-0
- Thurston County Superior Court
Sentry Medical group patient from Bucoda, raided by cops last year, 2 lights, 24 plants. Cops threw away all his stuff, took his equipment. Started growing again, raided again.
Thurston County Supeior Court - 2000 Lakeridge Drive SW - Olympia, WA 98502
