The medical marijuana confrontation between California and the U.S. government took a dramatic turn this week when two people were arrested on federal charges as they sat in a Tehama County courtroom.
David Dean Davidson and Cynthia Barcelo Blake were waiting for their attorneys to finish a meeting in the judge's chambers after Deputy District Attorney Lynn Strom had announced at the Tuesday hearing that she would seek a dismissal of charges against the pair for cultivation and possession for sale of marijuana.
When the prosecutor, who requested the meeting in chambers, left the courtroom with the defense attorneys and the judge, sheriff's deputies ordered the defendants into the hall, handcuffed them and told them they were under federal arrest.
At the same time, the county prosecutor informed the judge and defense attorneys that the pair had been indicted five days earlier by a federal grand jury in Sacramento. When the defense attorneys rushed back to the Corning courtroom, their clients were gone and they were informed by a deputy that the pair were on their way to jail in Sacramento.
Details here from the Sacramento Bee.
UPDATE: Law.com now weighs in here.