Walter in Denver has been continuing his great coverage on the bizarre case in Colorado that’s pitting a judge against DEA agents.
The latest: The U.S. Attorney’s office went to a federal judge to get the charges dropped.
To recap again:
- GRAMNET – the Grand, Routt and Moffat Narcotics Enforcement Team (which included a DEA agent) raided a Hayden, Colorado home in mid-October.
- They seize some marijuana and some pipes.
- It turns out Don Nord is a medical marijuana user and that was his medicine (legal in Colorado).
- No charges are filed against Nord, and the judge orders the pipes and 2 ounces of marijuana returned for his medical use.
- The officers had given the marijuana to the DEA, and the DEA refused to return it.
- The judge cited the officers for contempt and directed them to appear in court at 1:30 pm February 2 “to show why they should not be punished for defying the court order.”
- The U.S. Attorney’s office is using taxpayer money and sending lawyers to defend the DEA agent against the contempt citation… and now
- The U.S. Attorney’s office is trying to get the case moved to federal court and contempt charges dropped.
TalkLeft has also commented on the case, including:
In a society based on the rule of law, the proper response to a court order the government considers to be flawed is to appeal the order, not to disobey it.