GRL recently secured another NFG when the Bremer County Attorney dismissed a marijuana OWI on the eve of trial.
While there were a number of problems with the state’s case, the one that tipped the scales the most was the officer’s plain view observation of “marijuana bud” in the passenger compartment.
That turned out to be a piece of Lactuca sativa otherwise know as . . .
Wait for it.
Lettuce.
That’s right. He seized that other green leafy substance popular with salads and wraps. And framed the rest of his investigation from the standpoint of marijuana impairment.
At least he got the sativa part right!
To be fair, the prosecutor did the right thing under the circumstances. If the officer is going to mistake lettuce for marijuana, then who knows what else he may have been misidentified? Driving behavior, field sobriety testing, the inability to provide a urine sample for drug testing?
In any event, we were well prepared to defend our client. And sometimes announcing that you are ready for trial is all it takes.
GRL Law handles all sorts of OWI charges from alcohol to prescription medications, implied consent testing to search warrants and refusals. If you or someone you know is charged with OWI in Iowa, then reach out to the impaired driving attorneys at GRL.
