Public Defender

Civic leader pleads not guilty, again Civic leader Stephanie Mines pleaded not guilty Wednesday to criminal charges that she defrauded a local credit union of more than $21,000. Mines, who has served as a Glendale Education Foundation member and as president of the Soroptimist International of the Verdugos, is facing felony charges for allegedly passing bad checks from a Citibank business account to her personal account at the Glendale Area Schools Federal Credit Union to inflate her balance.

CHARLES UNGER When a person being interrogated by police asks for an attorney, law enforcement is required to provide him with an attorney and to cease questioning. In August 1998, Catarino Gonzalez Jr. allegedly shot Los Angeles Police Officer Filbert Cuesta to death. At the station, Gonzalez initially talked to the police, but during the interrogation he said "That, um, one thing I want to ask you that, if for anything you guys are going to charge me, I want to talk to a public defender, too, for any little thing.

Charlie Unger How do you feel about prenuptial agreements? Until I turned 40, I would never have considered one, for as to me they set the terms for the divorce in place so when things get tough, why not walk away? I want there to be some uncertainty attached to divorce. I would now acknowledge that when the prospective spouses have significantly different financial situations, a premarital agreement or "pre-nup" may be appropriate. The validity of these agreements came before the State Supreme Court late last month in the figure of baseball player extraordinaire, Barry Bonds.

Gretchen Hoffman A Glendale court commissioner ruled Friday that Glendale Police willfully withheld information from a public defender about sexual-assault allegations made against a sergeant. The ruling could mean a fine for the city and even jail time for two police officials. Deputy Public Defender Julia Dixon is representing two men accused of resisting arrest, and Glendale Police Sgt. Fran Judge was one of the arresting officers in both instances.

How would you feel if you were sentenced to death by a judge who was under the influence of marijuana? I wouldn't feel too good about it, and fortunately, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal overturned the judge's pronouncement in a 2-1 decision. This case stemmed from a matter in Phoenix in 1982, and an evidentiary hearing has been ordered to determine whether the judge in question, Judge Marquardt, was under the influence of marijuana when considering whether or not to sentence defendant Warren W. Summerlin to die. If it is determined that he was under the influence of marijuana, then the death sentence is to be set aside.

Last month I was summoned for jury duty in downtown Los Angeles at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center, where I was selected for a jury and ended up on a case for more than two weeks. I came away reminded of how important it is for us to participate in the judicial system that decides the fate of our fellow citizens, because it?s what distinguishes our country. However, whenever I would tell people I was on a jury, the first thing everyone asked me is, ?Well, didn?

The Montrose Shopping Park Assn. budget has, for the first time, surpassed the half-million dollar mark, the latest sign that the once-struggling business improvement district has turned a corner. “It's the biggest ever,” Dale Dawson, the association's executive director, said. For 2013, the group that promotes roughly 185 businesses along Honolulu Avenue in North Glendale has a budget of $525,917. That's 23% more than its 2012 budget and 46% more than 2011. “It seems to all be headed in the right direction,” said Mayor Frank Quintero.

Back when I was engaged to my future ex-wife, she asked me one evening if I would serve as a juror in a mock trial at her law school. The mock trial was part of Melinda's finals, she explained, and 12 students were chosen at random to bring a loved one to serve on the jury. Her performance in the trial would count for a third of her grade. "What kind of case is it?" I asked. "A murder trial!" she said happily. "A death-penalty case! You get to send two people to the chair!"

possession Three men, including an attorney with the Los Angeles County Public Defender's office, were released Sunday on $10,000 bail after being arrested on suspicion of possessing cocaine, police said. Jeffrey Betts Cohen, 44, of Los Angeles and Andrew Francisco Pesina, 50, and Peter Earnest Oliverez, 43, both of Glendale, were arrested Saturday after a patrol officer saw the trio in Cohen's parked Lexus SC300 coupe, according to a police report.