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Newsbrief:
Life
for
Brownies?
California
Man
Faces
Three-Strikes
Penalty
6/14/02
A suburban San Diego man
is facing a possible life sentence under California's Three-Strikes law
for helping his 15-year-old son make marijuana brownies. Steven Wells,
48, of Mira Mesa, faces felony charges of furnishing marijuana to a minor,
adulterating food and failing to register as a sex offender. Wells
was convicted in 1992 of two child molestation charges, making him eligible
for the state's 25-years-to-life Three-Strikes sentencing provision if
convicted.
San Diego prosecutors also
charged Wells with child abuse, arguing that he hurt his son when he gave
him marijuana, but Superior Court Judge Marguerite Wiss viewed that as
overreaching and dismissed that count. "I'm not convinced it causes
great bodily injury for a 15-year-old to have a [pot-laced] brownie," she
told prosecutors. The charge of adulterating food may also be a stretch.
Defense attorney Bill Nimmo
conceded in court that Wells gave his son the marijuana, but said the charge
should be reduced to a misdemeanor. "He likes his marijuana," Nimmo
told the court. Nimmo told the San Jose Mercury News that giving
Wells a life sentence for making brownies with his son was absurd.
"It's a sign of government out of control," he said.
-- END --
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Issue #241, 6/14/02
Federal Judge Issues Injunction Against California Cannabis Clubs | The June 6th Medical Marijuana Actions: One Week Later | With Competing Drug Reform Bills Passed, NY Governor and Assembly Have One Week to Reach Compromise | Border Governors to Discuss Chihuahua Marijuana Legalization | Dan Forbes Goes After Ad Age for McCarthyite Smear | London Borough Proposes De Facto Hard Drug Decrim | Philippines Enacts Death Penalty for Drug Dealing, Possession of a Pound of Marijuana or Tens Grams of Ecstasy | Colombian Paramilitary Leader Again Admits Links with Cocaine Traffic, Calls for Tactical Retreat from the Trade | Newsbrief: Mexico Drug Trade Helps Prevent Social Explosion, Says Researcher | Newsbrief: DARE Dropped in Toledo | Newsbrief: Maryland GOP Governor Candidate Talks Treatment Not Jail | Newsbrief: Supreme Court Ruling Leads to Public Housing Eviction for Son's Marijuana Pipe | Newsbrief: Addicts Vote with Their Feet on Vietnam's New, Lengthy Mandatory Drug Rehab | Newsbrief: Louisiana Judge Busted in Dope-Planting Scheme | Newsbrief: Life for Brownies? California Man Faces Three-Strikes Penalty | Grant Program: Tides Foundation RFPs for Latin America, Prop. 36 Implementation and Overdose Prevention | New DRCNet/StopTheDrugWar.org Merchandise Out -- Discounted Purchase Available | The Reformer's Calendar
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