Pubdate: Thu, 25 Feb 2016
Source: Chico Enterprise-Record (CA)
Copyright: 2016 Chico Enterprise-Record
Contact:  http://www.chicoer.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/861
Note: Letters from newspaper's circulation area receive publishing priority
Author: Andre Byik

FORMER YUBA COUNTY DEPUTY REAFFIRMS PLEA IN BUTTE COUNTY WEAPONS CASE

Oroville - The former Yuba County sheriff's deputy accused in 
Pennsylvania of trafficking marijuana, appeared in a Butte County 
courtroom Wednesday, pleading not guilty to a lesser weapons 
violation stemming from a search of his Oroville home.

The defendant, Christopher Mark Heath, 37, reaffirmed his not guilty 
plea to a felony count of possession of an assault weapon during a 
scheduled arraignment, which followed an evidentiary hearing held Jan. 27.

Butte County Superior Court Judge James Reilley scheduled a 
trial-setting hearing for April 20.

Heath has been charged in Butte County with the illegal possession of 
a modified semi-automatic rifle. Prosecutors allege he did not have 
authorization to personally possess an assault weapon.

The charge came after Heath's arrest Dec. 29 in York County, 
Pennsylvania, for allegedly trafficking nearly 250 pounds of 
marijuana. The former narcotics officer faces separate drug charges there.

A Butte County sheriff's detective previously testified that local 
law enforcement searched Heath's home shortly after his arrest in 
Pennsylvania and found two modified semi-automatic rifles in a gun 
safe. One of the rifles was said to be registered to Heath's wife, 
Tatum Heath, 35, who has pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor count of 
possession of an assault weapon.

Outside of court, Roberto Marquez, Christopher Heath's attorney, said 
he intends to file a motion seeking the dismissal of his client's 
weapons charge.

Marquez said he will argue that sufficient evidence supporting the 
charge has not been presented.

In January, Christopher Heath resigned from his position at the Yuba 
County Sheriff's Office, where he was assigned to the Yuba-Sutter 
narcotics task force, according to the Marysville Appeal-Democrat. 
The California Department of Justice is said to have launched an 
audit of the task force.

Christopher Heath remains out of custody.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom