Pubdate: Sun, 24 Mar 2002 Source: Pensacola News Journal (FL) Copyright: 2002 The Pensacola News Journal Contact: http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1675 Related: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n535/a08.html Note: From staff reports DEPUTY INNOCENT IN DRUG THEFT After testifying in his defense Saturday, a former Escambia County sheriff's deputy was acquitted of charges that he stole marijuana from an evidence room. Jerry West, 29, was found not guilty after the Escambia County jury deliberated just minutes during a rare Saturday court proceeding. Circuit Judge Linda Nobles ordered the weekend session because she had a conflict in her schedule for next week. In the third and final day of the trial, West testified for about two hours under questioning from his attorney, Nobles reported after the verdict. Prosecutors cross-examined West for about 45 minutes. At the end of a full day of work, the six-member jury deliberated for about 30 minutes before finding West not guilty of possessing less than 20 grams of marijuana and tampering with evidence. West, who was arrested in April 2000, was accused of swapping a higher grade of marijuana for a lower grade. He also tested positive for drug abuse. Defense attorney Jerry Allred argued that the amount of the drug found in the test was less than what counts as a positive test. He suggested West might have inhaled the marijuana while handling evidence. - --- MAP posted-by: Ariel