Marijuana joint falls out of assistant city attorney's pocke

[Sir X]

Marijuana joint falls out of assistant city attorney's pocket -- in court
By NBC News staff
A New Orleans attorney was cited for marijuana possession this week after a joint tumbled out of his pocket in front of police, according to media reports.

Follow @NBCNewsUS
Police say Jason Cantrell, who has a private practice but also serves as a part-time assistant city attorney, was in the magistrate section of criminal court chatting with police officers when a marijuana joint fell out of his pocket and onto the floor, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported.
Cantrell, 43, was a first-time offender and was cited, issued a summons to appear in court for simple possession of marijuana and let go, according to police spokesman Garry Flot.
Advertise | AdChoices


Stay informed with the latest headlines; sign up for our newsletter
The handling of his case is the result of an effort by city leaders and prosecutors two years ago to unclog a congested system and allow people arrested for having a small amount of marijuana on them to receive a summons and not be taken to jail, according to the Times-Picayune.
Besides being a private practice attorney, Cantrell doubles as a part-time city attorney, handling cases in traffic court. He was not working for the city when the incident occurred.
City Hall spokesman Ryan Berni told WDSU that Cantrell has been suspended without pay, pending an investigation.
Cantrell’s wife, LaToya, is a candidate for a district seat on the City Council. She released a statement apologizing for her husband and saying, “I absolutely do not condone his actions,” the New York Daily News reported.
Watch the most-viewed videos on NBCNews.com
“I love my husband unconditionally and am very concerned for his health and well-being, and for that of our family,” LaToya said. “I hope that this incident will encourage Jason to seek the professional help.”
Cantrell has practiced civil and criminal law in New Orleans for 17 years, including six as a public defender in juvenile court.
He ran for a position as a judge in juvenile court in 2009 but lost.

[Exile]

Professional help?....ha ha...

[Gamma]

it was probably her joint!!!

[Exile]

Thought the same....couldn't he concoct a story of medical use..migraine headaches...taking it from a youth he was counseling...just found it in the Hallway etc etc?

[Mosiah]

Poor fellow resigned!

New Orleans Prosecutor Jason Cantrell Resigns After Joint Falls Out of His Pocket In Court
Mike Riggs|Oct. 4, 2012 3:00 pm

"A Tough Judge for Tough Times." That's how Jason Cantrell described himself when he ran for a judge's seat on New Orleans' Juvenile Court in 2009. On Monday, Cantrell, who has served as a New Orleans prosecutor since losing the judge's race, was arrested when a marijuana cigarette fell out of his pocket in court.

"Cantrell was talking to an officer when the joint flew," The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. "Sources painted a comical picture of the incident, saying a pair of cops glanced at the joint on the ground, then at each other before making arguably the easiest collar in the annals of policework."

Thanks to legislation passed in 2010, New Orleans no longer tries low-level marijuana offenders in criminal court. Instead, it cites them and summons them to municipal court, where city attorneys like Cantrell--instead of district attorneys--serve as prosecutors:

District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro said the point of the new law is to free up local judges to handle more important cases.

"This is ultimately the goal: to bring the city attorney's in as the prosecutors of those cases, so I can bring my assistant D.A.'s who had to handle the municipal court cases -- the misdemeanor cases in municipal court -- back to criminal court," Cannizzaro said.

Cannizarro said the change provides a more efficient criminal justice system; not just for his office, but for police as well.

When Cantrell was running for judge in 2009, he promised to implement mandatory drug court for all first-time juvenile drug offenders. And we all know how wonderful drug courts are. I wonder if Cantrell will volunteer himself for one-to-two years of weekly rehab meetings and ******** tests, as he proscribed for first-time juvenile offenders, or if he'll just opt for the $500 fine?

[Time]

Thought the same....couldn't he concoct a story of medical use..migraine headaches...taking it from a youth he was counseling...just found it in the Hallway etc etc?

He is not Jamaican!