11:59pm | The Press-Telegram is reporting that Long Beach Superior Court Judge Charles Sheldon recused himself from the case of medical marijuana collective operators Joe Grumbine and Joe Byron yesterday, admitting he made a serious error when he sent a complimentary letter to the prosecutor, Deputy District Attorney Jodi Castano, prior to sentencing.
“I don’t know what I was thinking,” Sheldon said, adding that he meant what he said in the missive, which was dated January 5, but it was inappropriate to send while the case was still active.
According to the Press-Telegram, “[h]is recusal drew raucous applause, cheers and shouts from a courtroom brimming with about 50 medical marijuana advocates who have rallied inside and outside the Long Beach courthouse throughout Grumbine and Byron’s trial.”
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