HTTP/1.0 200 OK Content-Type: text/html Accused Dealer A Wacky Defendant 
Pubdate: Fri, 05 Dec 2008
Source: Maple Ridge Times (CN BC)
Copyright: 2008 Lower Mainland Publishing Group Inc
Contact:  http://www.mrtimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1372
Author: Amy Steele
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)

ACCUSED DEALER A WACKY DEFENDANT

A former Maple Ridge mayoral candidate and advocate for the
legalization of marijuana is on trial this week for selling marijuana
on three occasions to an undercover cop this spring. William Walker
Perry, the owner of the adult store Guilty Pleasures who ran in the
2005 Maple Ridge mayoral race, faces three counts of trafficking in a
controlled substance and one count of possession for the purpose of
trafficking. Perry has refused legal representation and has declined
to cross-examine any witnesses in his own defence. During the trial
Perry has sat reading the Bible and has refused to make eye contact or
to respond to any questions or comments provincial court judge Pedro
de Couto has made to him. At the start of the trial de Couto asked the
court clerk to get Perry a paper and pen in case he wanted to take
notes. Perry hasn't taken any notes but his lips regularly move as he
reads the Bible.

Perry has also refused to observe any expected court protocol. When
the court clerk says "order in court all rise" as the judge walks into
the courtroom Perry remains in his seat. After witness testimony de
Couto repeatedly asked Perry if he wanted to cross-examine the witness
but Perry remained silent and ignored the judge.

"I have bent over backwards to provide you with the opportunity to ask
questions and actively participate in these proceedings," said de
Couto. He said the fact that Perry was choosing to be "mute" was his
choice.

On Thursday morning Perry covered his ears with his hands and closed
his eyes during testimony.

Court has heard that an undercover police officer was directed to try
and buy drugs from Perry at his store Guilty Pleasure as part of a
larger two-month undercover operation to target street level drug
trafficking in Maple Ridge. Perry was also put under police
surveillance as part of the investigation. Perry and 12 other people
in Maple Ridge were eventually charged with drug offences as a result
of the undercover operation.

The undercover police officer, who can't be named due to a publication
ban, testified that Perry sold him marijuana on three separate
occasions on April 11, May 6 and May 28 of 2008 out of his store.

The undercover police officer testified that on April 11 he bought a
pornographic DVD, a pipe and $40 worth of marijuana from Perry. He
said when he brought the pipe up to the cash register he asked Perry
if he had anything to put in the pipe. He described Perry's "overall
demeanor" as "condescending" but he said Perry asked if he wanted a
$20 or $40 "gift bag" to go along with the pipe. Perry then reached
under the cash register and placed marijuana in a white envelope and
handed it to him.

On May 6 the undercover officer bought a book and asked an employee he
knew as Dave for a $40 "gift bag." The employee pulled out a small
yellow bowl from underneath the cash desk but said there was nothing
in it. The undercover cop had placed $40 on the counter. Perry then
walked into the store. The undercover police officer said he started
up a conversation with Perry about his difficulty in growing marijuana
and asked how often he should feed the plants. He said Perry began to
"lecture" him about proper feeding of marijuana plants. Perry then
left the store and shortly afterwards returned and removed a ziplock
bag from his pocket that the undercover police officer said was about
1/3 full of dried marijuana. He then put part of the contents of the
bag into the yellow bowl under the cash register. His employee pulled
out a digital scale from under the cash register and took some
marijuana from the bowl to weigh. Perry placed the marijuana in the
scale into an envelope and handed it to the undercover cop. Perry also
recommended a book on growing pot called "Grow Like a Pro" for the
undercover cop.

On May 28 the undercover police officer once again asked for a $40
gift bag of marijuana and watched Perry take dried marijuana from a
ziplock bag, weigh it on a scale and place it into an envelope, which
he handed to him. The undercover police officer said during one of his
visits he noticed a petition calling on the government to legalize
marijuana on the counter.

On May 29 RCMP executed a search warrant at Guilty Pleasures, as well
as Perry's residence. Police seized 16.6 grams of dried marijuana from
a glass bowl underneath the front counter, 235 grams of ground
marijuana in a ziplock bag and 33.4 grams of dried marijuana in two
separate baggies from Guilty Pleasures. An expert witness testified
the combined marijuana would be worth a little over $2,000 in street
value. Police also seized dime bags, "easy roll" papers and $740 in
cash that was sitting on the counter as well as two separate plastic
containers with $181.25 total cash in them. Perry was arrested in May
and has been in jail ever since.

Part of the court case has focused on the Crown attempting to prove
that Perry has been served with all evidence available to the Crown in
order to prepare his defence.

Court heard that during a court appearance on October 28 Crown counsel
handed an evidence disclosure package containing lab results to the
sheriff to give to Perry who was in the prisoner's box. The sheriff,
Gregory Carter, testified that Perry initially refused to take the
document but finally grabbed it and placed it next to him.

Carter said Perry then began quoting verses from the Bible to the
judge and "challenging the authority of the courts" as well as the
sitting judge. Extra sheriffs were called in to remove him from the
courtroom.

Another sheriff who took Perry from the courtroom to the cell area
testified he took the evidence disclosure document from the courtroom
and handed it to another sheriff. After that sheriff put Perry in
cells he put the disclosure documents under the cell door.

de Couto said he was satisfied that Perry had been provided the
disclosure documents.

As of press time the Crown had concluded its case and de Couto had
adjourned the trial to allow Perry the opportunity to consider whether
he wanted to provide defence evidence.

Perry has a previous conviction for selling marijuana. In 2007 Perry
received an 18-month conditional sentence for selling marijuana out of
Guilty Pleasures. Perry was charged after a four-month undercover
police investigation in 2005 under which he sold marijuana to
undercover police officers on four occasions. He pled guilty to one
count of trafficking in marijuana and one count of possession of
marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.

His defence lawyer Richard Fowler described his client as a "strong
advocate for the legalization of marijuana" but said his client was
remorseful.

Perry previously told the media that he decided to run for mayor in
the 2005 election after his store was raided by police and he was
charged with trafficking in marijuana.
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