Kubby Hearing @ the Placer County Courthouse

Kubby Hearing @ the Placer County Courthouse

We left San Francisco in the predawn hours with two vanloads of patients to drive up to Auburn for Steve Kubby's hearing at the Placer County Jail. We were all very concerned about Steve, as he couldn't even get a Tylenol for his pain and only after a massive call-in campaign to Placer County officials did a sympathetic deputy sheriff give him an extra blanket and pillow.

He was receiving Marinol from the prison nurse, but he needs more then THC, the principle active ingredient in Marinol. He was separated from the rest of the inmate population, because his vomiting disturbed the other inmates.

Placer County is the most conservative county in California and District Attorney Brad Fennochio has spent a great deal of tax dollars on persecuting medical cannabis patients. We expected a hostile environment, and knew that news of Steve's incarceration was the talk of Auburn.

As we were setting up, we talked to an attorney from the Public Defender's office. She was exasperated and said she was fed up with the Placer County legal system and that she'd be leaving soon to work in Nevada County.

Bill McPike, Steve's attorney arrived and went to the DA's office. He said Steve was hanging on and that our presence here was encouraging to him and gave him strength, although Steve had lost fifteen to twenty pounds.

The entire Sacramento news media had converged and we decided to start the press conference. I gave them an update on Steve's condition and answered their questions about Steve's legal status and tried to clarify a few details about our position, which is: get Steve his medicine, put him in the infirmary or release him to house arrest.

The courtroom was small, holding only fifty people. Only a few folks were able to make it in, but the room was packed. The bailiff led the other people in custody into the court. Steve was led in by himself. He was in shackles, but waved to the crowd and smiled. He looked in good spirits, but was slightly disheveled and thin. You could see that he was in obvious pain, but he seemed game to fight on.

The hearing was an afterthought, Steve pled not guilty to violating the terms of his probation, and he was scheduled to appear on Friday, February 3rd, 2006 at 8:30 AM.

The Assistant District Attorney Cattran, made a few statements outside, which amounted to a lot of double talk. If Steve dies while in custody, Cattran will be the person responsible.

We are going to continue organizing around Steve's case and plan to go to Auburn Friday.

That's all for now, as I have to get ready for another meeting. If anybody knows how to get hold of Cheech Marin, have him contact me ASAP.