Who: Laura Sharp and Co-Defendants
What: Prelim Exam Hearing
Where: Begins in Dept. 5 of the Vista Courthouse, 325 South Melrose Dr. Vista, CA 92081
When: 8:30 AM Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Laura Sharp, a legal medical cannabis patient and directing member of SocalPURE, Inc., will be in court tomorrow, Wednesday, April 16, 2014 in Vista for a preliminary examination of the evidence against her and her co-defendants after a raid on the legal medical cannabis establishment located in north county.
On October 9, 2013, law enforcement in riot gear forced their way into SocalPURE, a non profit mutual benefit corporation. The belligerent men threw people to the ground, screaming “where are the guns” and yelling obscenities. The officers handcuffed Laura and other patients and kept them that way for six hours.
TRUMPED-UP CHARGES
Even though the patients were polite and cooperative during the raid, in addition to possession for sales, the three were charged with “manufacturing” specifically to double the bail amount to 50K. All are out on bail and that charge was later dropped as there was no evidence of manufacturing. The sales charges remain and Laura’s attorney Michael Cindrich will be arguing for dismissal tomorrow.
This raid was a terrifying display of force on a legal business. No attempt was made to establish lawfulness, no effort was made to check documentation and financial records before the defendants were terrorized and treated as criminals. Tomorrow, Laura and the two others will face one of the hardest days of their lives.
Please come to Vista Court, 325 South Melrose Dr. Vista, CA 92081 and stand with them. Proceedings begin at 8:30AM.
For more information, please contact San Diego Americans for Safe Access Court Support Coordinator, Terrie Best at ilegalsmile@hotmail.com
