Pubdate: Thu, 04 May 2000 Source: Orange County Register (CA) Copyright: 2000 The Orange County Register Contact: P.O. Box 11626, Santa Ana, CA 92711 Fax: (714) 565-3657 Website: http://www.ocregister.com/ Section: Local News,page 8 THE KUBBY CASE The Placer County trial of medical marijuana patients Steve Kubby (former Libertarian gubernatorial candidate) and his wife Michele was delayed on Monday and will have its fifth judge, John L.Cosgrove,when it resumes today. Whether the case will actually begin in earnest is anybody's guess based on progress of the case to date. On Monday, Carolyn M. Hagin, a representative from the office of San Francisco attorney J. Tony Serra, asked Judge James Roeder for a brief delay. Mr. Serra, she explained to the judge, was in San Jose, handling a case where the judge had ordered him to be there because the client was in custody, and neither he nor the Kubbys' new associate counsel, J. David Nick (who represented Marvin Chavez in his Orange County case), was ready for trial. Judge Roeder denied the motion for a continuance, so the defense used a peremptory challenge to remove him from the case. Judge Roeder then assigned the case to Judge Cosgrove and set the date for Thursday. That bought the defense a few days for more preparation. The Kubbys are charged with two counts of conspiracy, possession of marijuana for sale, marijuana cultivation and five other counts following a raid on their home near Lake Tahoe when more than 200 plants were discovered. The Kubbys, both of whom have recommendations from physicians for medical use of marijuana, say they were growing the plants for their own medical use, an activity protected by Prop. 215, which voters approved in 1996. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek Rea