John Berchielli convicted on five counts

The co-defendant in this case, Sheldon Webber, is an out-of-luck friend who had been living with Berchielli. Webber is also a medical marijuana patient, although his recommendation had been expired by several days at the time of the bust. Webber was facing three marijuana-related charges: cultivation, distribution, and possession with the intent to sell. The prosecutor dropped the distribution charge after Webber took the stand and testified that he had witnessed Berchielli sell marijuana to other medical marijuana patients. The jury then acquitted him on the possession charge, and convicted him on a single count of cultivation.

Berchielli, however, was convicted on all three of the aforementioned marijuana-related counts. The cultivation charge alone could mean a heavy sentence, since Berchielli's garden had over a thousand clones. He was also convicted on a booby trap charge relating to barbed wire and nails found around the fence of his backyard growsite. Due to these fortifications, as well as the supposed dangers of the marijuana itself, Berchielli was also convicted on a count of child endangerment. There is no evidence of physical abuse, and the child endangerment charge was based instead on the potential risks of raising an adolescent in a home where marijuana is grown and smoked. According to the prosecutions's star witness, "marijuana fumes and residue sink into upholstery and present a serious danger to children." Testimony in the case also illuminated the protocol of the UC Davis Medical Center's C.A.A.R.E.S. program, which automatically takes children from drug busts to a "safe center" where they are stripped and pee tested before being turned over to Child Protective Services.

The trial, which spanned two weeks in June 2007, was beset by misfortune after misfortune for the defendant. It was presided over by Judge Rothwell B. Mason, who has lived in Washington state for the past 16 years, and who admitted at the conclusion of the trial that he is thoroughly ignorant about California's medical marijuana laws. To read a full account of the trial of Berchielli and Webber, visit http://www.medicalmarijuanaofamerica.com/content/category/1/56/109/

John Berchielli is a dedicated activist who works tirelessly not only for medical marijuana rights, but also for many other causes. In particular, he devotes incredible amounts of volunteer time to social programs benefiting children, including the obesity prevention campaign and First 5 California. If he is sentenced heavily, it could mean that we will lose the work of a very valuable activist. Please come to the sentencing hearing to show your support for this asset to our community.

John Berchielli and Sheldon Webber are scheduled for a sentencing hearing on July 30th at 9am. The hearing will take place in Dept. 47 (6th Floor) of 720 9th Street in Sacramento, California.