Gang Member, Killer Says He Was Beaten By Drug-Addict Mom An Oakland gang member convicted of four slayings testified Tuesday that he was beaten by a drug-addicted mother, grew up in group homes and was teased by classmates because he didn't know who his real father was. Demarcus Ralls recounted his childhood Tuesday for jurors who will decide whether he should be sentenced to death for the killings, which were committed during a 10-week crime spree by the Nut Cases gang. [continues 453 words]
Prop. 36 Mandates Treatment Replace Jail The number of people in government-funded drug treatment programs in Contra Costa will double to about 2,000 because of Proposition 36, county officials said yesterday. To place all those drug users in treatment, the Board of Supervisors approved a plan yesterday to administer $3.1 million in new state funds the county will receive annually. California voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition 36 last November despite the opposition of most law enforcement groups. It requires that first- and second-time drug offenders be placed in treatment instead of behind bars. [continues 350 words]
SAN QUENTIN-- A veteran San Quentin prison guard and leader in the correctional officers' union was charged yesterday with attempting to smuggle cocaine and heroin into the prison for sale. Lee P. Beck was arrested Saturday in Pittsburg for possession for sale of cocaine and heroin, transporting controlled substances and attempting to bring a controlled substance into a prison. Beck wore a yellow prison jumpsuit and stood with his arms folded across his chest during his arraignment in Contra Costa Superior Court in Martinez. Superior Court Judge Michael Coleman granted a request by Beck's lawyer, Michael Markowitz, to postpone the proceeding until September 5. Beck did not enter a plea and was ordered held on $120,000 bail. [continues 312 words]
Officer a leader in powerful union Regional -- A veteran San Quentin State Prison guard who holds a leadership position in the prison system's powerful union was in jail yesterday after corrections officials arrested him in Bay Point during the weekend. Lee P. Beck, 40, was arrested Saturday on charges of possession and sale of narcotics, transportation and sale of narcotics and possession of a concealed substance. He was being held on $85,000 bail at Contra Costa County's Martinez Detention Facility, jail officials said yesterday. [continues 314 words]
At its weekly meeting yesterday, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors: - -- A resolution urging the Legislature and Governor Pete Wilson to approve a bill allowing cities and counties to distribute medical marijuana. The measure was sponsored by Supervisors Mark Leno and Sue Bierman. - --- Checked-by: (Joel W. Johnson) [end]
Low Bail Rates Blamed For Attracting Criminals To City San Francisco's lax attitude toward drug dealers and other criminals attracts offenders from counties throughout the Bay Area, where bail is higher and justice swifter. That was the message police, prosecutors and frustrated merchants gave at a Board of Supervisors committee hearing yesterday. Several witnesses talked of suspects being busted for major crimes, only to end up back on the streets before the ink dried on the arrest blotter. ``Many times they're home before the officer is finished writing the report,'' said Vernon Grigg III, assistant district attorney in charge of narcotics prosecutions. ``If the officer is injured, we've had cases where they are home before the officer is out of the hospital.'' [continues 414 words]
ULSTER'S war against drugs is set to enter a new phase following a top level review session by those on the front line. The UK's newly appointed deputy Drugs Czar, Mike Trace, yesterday met with delegates from across the province to discuss the issues and begin hammering out the latest strategy in the on-going fight. He said the meeting, held in Coleraine, was the next step in trying to crush the comparatively small but nonetheless significant drugs problem in Ulster. [continues 335 words]
