cannabisnews.com: What Was Won in Court was Lost To Thieves What Was Won in Court was Lost To Thieves Posted by FoM on October 27, 2001 at 08:16:26 PT By Terry Vau Dell - Staff Writer Source: Chico Enterprise-Record What a jury didn't do to Mike Rogers, thieves did. The first Butte County resident acquitted under the state's medical marijuana law lost most of his crop to "patch pirates" early Friday.The Cohasset man said he was awakened about 3 a.m. to the sound of one or more persons in the back yard of his Cohasset Road home. He pumped the action on his shotgun, apparently frightening off the thieves, but not before they made off with five of his eight marijuana plants. Earlier in the week, Rogers, 44, obtained a court order for the return of property seized in a 1999 sheriff's raid, including high intensity lights for growing marijuana indoors.However, the court has refused to reimburse him for the 21 marijuana plants and dozens of seeds that were seized as evidence. He also said he incurred $7,000 in legal fees in the court case.A jury this summer found Rogers innocent of cultivation and sale of marijuana in what was portrayed as the first medical marijuana trial locally.Rogers was arrested in August 1999 after circulating flyers and taking out newspaper ads offering to sell several exotic varieties of marijuana plants to medical marijuana users.During his trial, Rogers claimed he was trying to start up a community co-op to help other medicinal marijuana patients obtain clones (clippings from pot plants) so they could grow their own marijuana.Rogers has been using marijuana since 1997 with a doctor's recommendation for pain stemming from a broken neck suffered in a college wrestling match when he was 18. He is a founding member of the Butte Alliance for Medical Marijuana.He said there have been "several persons up here ripped off by patch pirates this year."The Cohasset man said he gave chase Friday, but never got a good look at the thieves in the dark before they fled in a small pickup.Sheriff's deputies took a report of the theft, but Rogers said "they seemed more interested in what plants I had, than what was stolen."Both he and his fiancee have doctor's recommendations allowing them to use marijuana for medicinal purposes, according to Rogers.The couple had already harvested some of their crop. They estimate they have about a six-month supply, not enough to get them through the year before they can plant more marijuana.Complete Title: What Medical Marijuana Advocate Won in Court was Lost To ThievesSource: Chico Enterprise-Record (CA)Author: Terry Vau Dell - Staff WriterPublished: Saturday, October 27, 2001 Copyright: 2001 The Media News GroupContact: letters chicoer.comWebsite: http://www.chicoer.com/Related Article & Web Site:Medicinal Cannabis Research Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/research.htmMedical Marijuana Defendant Testifieshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10765.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Post Comment