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In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors.
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Utah prosecutor drops marijuana charges against San Francisco men
Friday June 20, 2003
CEDAR CITY, Utah (AP) Iron County Attorney Scott Garrett is
dropping prosecution of three San Francisco men arrested 20 months
ago on drug charges.
Garrett filed a motion to dismiss the case after the state
attorney general's office announced Thursday it will not appeal a
judge's ruling that the search of the men's motel room was
unconstitutional.
Fifth District Court Judge Philip Eves had ruled that police
violated the rights of Dennis Peron, 57, John Entwistle, 37, and
Kasey Conder, 20, during a November 2001 arrest at a Cedar City
motel. They were charged with possession of marijuana with the
intent to distribute.
Eves ruled police needed a search warrant, which they did not
obtain. Police were called when a motel worker said she smelled
marijuana.
``Obviously, we're disappointed that the motion to suppress the
evidence was granted and that there will be no appeal, but we
respect the attorney general's position and understand the decision
he has made,'' Garrett said.
Peron helped draft California's medical marijuana law and was a
founder of San Francisco's Cannabis Cultivation Club.
Peron, Entwistle and Conder had sought dismissal of the charges,
saying their prescriptions for the drug should be recognized in
Utah. Eves denied that motion, stating that Utah does not recognize
the medicinal use of marijuana.
The three men have been active in Utah, holding rallies to
petition for legalizing medicinal marijuana.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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