Lance Benzel:
"One is a cancer patient and former restaurateur who says he believes that oil derived from marijuana holds the cure to his leukemia.
The other — a Colorado Springs woman who left a corporate job to join the state’s booming medical marijuana trade, only to be swept up in a 2010 raid on growers who shared a local warehouse.
In June, Robert Crouse and Elisa J. Kappelmann — defendants in two of El Paso County’s most closely watched marijuana prosecutions — are headed for jury trials at a time when many similar cases quietly end in plea agreements.
Kappelmann, 52, is due for a June 4 trial. Crouse, 63, is to be tried June 25.
The cases, which are otherwise unrelated, have attracted notice from medical marijuana advocates who staged demonstrations and packed the 4th Judicial District courthouse hallways during their court appearances. According to court records, the District Attorney’s Office contends that Crouse and Kappelmann were operating marijuana nurseries without proper licensing, charges both deny.
Crouse was arrested in May 2011 after police seized 6 pounds of marijuana and more than 50 plants from his home on North Weber Street. Crouse is charged with two drug felonies, including possession with intent to distribute.
According to an arrest affidavit, Crouse told authorities he was part-owner in a recently opened dispensary called God’s Own Garden. Crouse said he wasn’t involved in day-to-day operations but told police that he occasionally supplied a business partner with marijuana that Crouse grew at home, the affidavit said.
Crouse had invested $7,000 in the venture, court records said.
Police say Crouse was also trying to produce marijuana-infused barbecue sauce, modifying the same barbecue recipe he used at Yakibob’s, the Colorado Springs restaurant he owned until handing the business off to a family member in 2009....." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."
Showing posts with label 4th Judicial District Attorney. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 4th Judicial District Attorney. Show all posts
May 21, 2012
January 2, 2012
SandBox Comments: Colorado Springs Gazette "Rookie prosecutors cut teeth on DUI, misdemeanor cases"
A very interesting look at statistics out of El Paso County from jury commissioner Dennis McKinney.
As of this morning, no DA race for the 4th Judicial District is noted on Colorado Sec. of State 'TRACER'.
As of this morning, no DA race for the 4th Judicial District is noted on Colorado Sec. of State 'TRACER'.
"..The 376 trials is a record but represents just a fraction of the tens of thousands of cases filed in the District Attorney’s Office in Teller and El Paso counties each year, according to statistics available on the Colorado Judicial Branch website.
Most filings end in plea agreements.
But clearly the jump in cases going to trial is proof that May was serious about a tough stand on certain types of cases.
As part of May’s revamped training, new recruits must complete 15 county court trials, a switch from an earlier policy that saw some attorneys advance to District Court after only one or two, the district attorney said.
At the same time, May set a goal to increase the number of trials in county court from about 150 a year to about 200 a year.
Felony trials also rose on May’s watch, according to figures he supplied showing the office hit a record in 2010 with about 165 felony trials and nearly matched it this year, with about 150 trials.
“Those are the two highest totals in the history of this office,” he said.
McKinney and May keep separate tallies of court trials.
The District Attorney’s Office still is compiling figures for the year and hasn’t completed a break down of its prosecutions, May said.
Of the trials in District Court this year, 11 were for first-degree murder, tying the number of first-degree murder trials last year, McKinney said.
The figures show that 26,000 people reported for jury duty this year. Of those, about 12 percent ended up serving on a jury...."
Read more: http://www.gazette.com/articles/prosecutors-131026-rookie-wanted.html#ixzz1iKGLU6at
Most filings end in plea agreements.
But clearly the jump in cases going to trial is proof that May was serious about a tough stand on certain types of cases.
As part of May’s revamped training, new recruits must complete 15 county court trials, a switch from an earlier policy that saw some attorneys advance to District Court after only one or two, the district attorney said.
At the same time, May set a goal to increase the number of trials in county court from about 150 a year to about 200 a year.
Felony trials also rose on May’s watch, according to figures he supplied showing the office hit a record in 2010 with about 165 felony trials and nearly matched it this year, with about 150 trials.
“Those are the two highest totals in the history of this office,” he said.
McKinney and May keep separate tallies of court trials.
The District Attorney’s Office still is compiling figures for the year and hasn’t completed a break down of its prosecutions, May said.
Of the trials in District Court this year, 11 were for first-degree murder, tying the number of first-degree murder trials last year, McKinney said.
The figures show that 26,000 people reported for jury duty this year. Of those, about 12 percent ended up serving on a jury...."
Read more: http://www.gazette.com/articles/prosecutors-131026-rookie-wanted.html#ixzz1iKGLU6at
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