cannabisnews.com: Christen Eager for Day in Court 





Christen Eager for Day in Court 
Posted by FoM on September 20, 2001 at 08:05:09 PT
By Alan Crowell, Staff Writer 
Source: Portland Press Herald
Maine Vocals Founder Donald Christen says he is so confident that the charges against him are bogus he will petition for a speedier trial. Donald K. Christen is due to be arraigned Nov. 14 on four counts of disorderly conduct. As one of the chief organizers of Hempstock, a four-day pro-marijuana rock festival, Christen is charged with essentially throwing a loud party for four days last month. 
After Superior Court Justice Donald H. Marden relaxed his bail conditions Tuesday, Christen said Wednesday that is confident he will prevail in court. "They are going to have to get me through the courts and they aren't going to be able to do that," said Christen. "The State of Maine is not going to watch our rights to assemble and freedom of speech go down the tubes," he said. Christen has repeatedly claimed that the charges were part of a personal vendetta against him by Kennebec and Somerset County District Attorney David Crook. He also claims that he did not violate the state mandated noise levels during Hempstock. "They are using the law to their own ends," he said. But many residents of Starks, where the Maine Vocals have held the festivals for over a decade, have complained the noisy festivals overwhelm their town and keep them up nights. Evert N. Fowle, Somerset and Kennebec County first assistant district attorney, said Wednesday that Starks residents can rest assured that Christen will not be allowed to participate at the next Maine Vocals festival, Harvest Fest, scheduled Oct. 5-7. At a Tuesday bail hearing in Somerset County Superior Court in Skowhegan, Marden changed Christen's bail restrictions to allow him to possess up to an ounce and a quarter of marijuana without violating his bail restrictions. Fowle said he argued at the hearing that bail restrictions normally called for suspects not to use or possess any amount of marijuana. "We didn't think that Donald Christen should be treated differently from any other citizen," he said. Fowle pointed out, however, that the bail conditions will require him to obey mass gathering and noise ordinances. Fowle said the case against Christen has always been about allowing people in Starks to get a good night's rest. "There is no reason (the Maine Vocals) can't have a festival like this, but they need to do it with a little bit of consideration," he said. Source: Portland Press Herald (ME) Author: Alan Crowell, Staff Writer Published: Thursday, September 20, 2001Copyright: 2001 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. Contact: letters pressherald.com Website: http://www.portland.com/ Related Articles & Web Site:Maine Vocalshttp://www.mainevocals.org/Vocals Ignore Ordinance http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10383.shtmlVocals Plan Fete Despite Starks Ordinance http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10341.shtml
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