Rohi Israel expected to return to prison Wednesday for smoking marijuana while on supervised release. But a federal judge in Fort Wayne told him he can be free until an appeals court decides whether smoking marijuana is his religious right as a Rastafarian. U.S. District Judge William C. Lee ruled that Israel should serve 11 months in prison for violating the terms of supervised release, but he agreed to stay the sentence pending appeal. Israel's court-appointed attorney has 30 days to file a notice of appeal with the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Chicago. [continues 495 words]
A state appeals court ruling may change the way Allen County runs its drug court. The late April ruling effectively said judges can't accept guilty pleas and withhold sentencing until defendants complete certain requirements. "You are not allowed to accept guilty pleas that may call for a dismissal," said St. Joseph County Superior Judge Roland Chamblee Jr., who changed the way he ran his county's drug court based on the decision. St. Joseph County's drug court changed its procedure about a month after the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled on the case. Allen County, which runs one of nine drug courts in the state, may follow suit by the year's end. [continues 815 words]
