Courtney Wagner Won't Be Going To Jail For Coke & Heroin
Even though Courtney Wagner was found with coke and heroin in her possession she won't be going to jail and all charges against her have been dropped. The District Attorney decided that even though there had been gun shots in Courtney's Malibu home that the police did not have probable cause to enter the house so therefore the search was illegal and Courtney can continue to do as she pleases. She probably celebrated by getting wasted out of her mind. So, if people had reported gun shots and Courtney or her friend were in there dying but the police did not go inside because they had no probable cause and then the people died, who do you think would get blamed? The police.
43 comments:
Celebrity justice.
Drug laws are for poor blacks and latinos. Study after study shows this. If Americans don't get it by now they never will.
Interesting. If she'd just flushed a toilet in Indiana, that would've been sufficient probable cause.
Those privately-owned prisons aren't gonna pay for themselves! Jeez!
Btw, who is this person?
Vicki - she's Natalie Wood's daughter. Natasha Gregson-Wagner's sister.
Gun shots going off inside a home doesn't give police probable cause to enter? Who among us is safe then? This recalls to mind yesterday's story about a girl being penalized for protecting a handicapped student. The increasingly litigious nature of modern society (and fear of it) is going to be the ruin of us all, seriously.
@ Vicki, Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner's daughter.
Maybe Himmmm called in a favor
@ Chris: The bottom line is if you don't use drugs, you won't be receiving charges for drugs. No matter what race you are.
So sad, I was a fan of her mom.
I wish there were more stories out there of celebrity children working to cure cancer or some such. Unfortunately, this situation is far more common.
The only exceptional celebrity child I know of is Mia & Woody's genius son.
@ Chris & Pen - I don't think we can compare the situation of yet another H'wood-type getting off scot-free to real class/social issues. This is just what happens there. If you're remotely famous or H'wood royalty by birth, you can expect to have few - if any - consequences for anything you do your entire life.
@amazonblue. Ronan Farrow is fascinating.
Any attorneys know the answer to this? Is a gunshot not probable cause all the time? Or was it argued in this instance and ruled not probable cause?
(Not that I intend on firing a gun in my home anytime soon. Just wondering.)
And brilliant. Works in africa, advocating for the oeople there. Now that is a meaningful life. He does that altho he has a law degree and who knows what else- hes trying to help people. If i were his mother, i wld be beyond proud.
@ Amber. I totally agree with you. California in general seems to be a lot easier on all citizens. I was just stating the fact no matter who you are, if you don't have drugs, you won't be charged. Therefore leave the race card out of it. I may need to have a cup of coffee and lighten up :)
Well, every time I pop off a few shots in my house, it's always hit or miss on whether the cops will show. Of course, I do live in Texas ...
The cops in their good intent screwed up. They didn't have a warrant and her lawyers would of shreded the case against her. They where there to investigate a gun shot not look for drugs. It doesn't seem fair, but if it was you or your family member you will cling to the constitution for dear life.
from TMZ:
"But the L.A. County D.A. won't be pursuing the case -- because of a little thing called the 4th Amendment to the United States Constitution. According to the D.A., "Deputies did not have probable cause, consent, nor a warrant to conduct the search and recover narcotics so as a result the case is being rejected because of illegal search and seizure."
The Constitution ... it's a beautiful thing."
If she is an addict I would hope her father or someone in her life can get her the help she needs.
@ Pen - Lol. That's definitely true. One thing that always baffles me is this: Do you know what it's not hard to do? Stay out of trouble, and not do illegal things that get you arrested. I understand that, particularly in certain parts of the country, law enforcement can be bigoted and will arrest non-whites for blinking. However, in general, be a productive member of society and don't be an asshole. It's not that hard.
actually, Pen-a-lope, the cops often plant drugs where there were none, so you might not want to be so sanctimonious.
I know this because I work in the criminal justice system. happens over and over. sometimes the cops get caught, but most often they don't.
obviously, that was not the case in this instance. I do feel sorry for courtney wagner as her mother died so tragically. and her father possibly killed her. still think she should have been charged.
Oh, please Annabella! the cops "often" plant drugs? Sure they do. In what capacity do you work in the CJ system? As a court-appointed defense lawyer?
lol @ planting drugs.
I know plenty of people who have had much harder lives than her or any of these overpriveledged, entitled kids of the rich and famous. I don't feel sorry for her.
but if the cops screwed up then I guess it is only fair the charges were dropped.
I feel sorry for her. Her mother was a beautiful and by all accounts kind woman who died in a tragic and suspicious way. This is sad.
Would you feel less sorry had her mother been ugly and mean?
@ Amber, I totally concur. @ Annabella, I do not doubt there are isolated cases where drugs are planted. I also do not believe that stating the obvious fact of abiding the law is being sanctimonious.
I hope this is her wake-up call. Glad she's still alive.
<----- is proud to be a court-appointed defense lawyer. I haven't had any cases were drugs were planted, but I don't doubt that it happens.
Gunshots are definitely probable cause for the police to enter a home. If the drugs were in plain view (i.e., on a coffee table), the seizure was valid. It doesn't give the police the right to search in drawers and stuff like that. I never did hear where exactly the drugs were found.
Of course she got a slap on the wrist. She has celebrity in her. If this were a nobody...straight to jail, huge fine, years imprisonment...no question. No rights.
The state of California currently is struggling with .. what, a $6 billion budget shortfall? Why waste taxpayer dollars prosecuting a celebrity kid on charges that her very, very expensive defense team will get thrown out? Even if she was convicted she would just get rehab. It was a good call by the PA. Now, hopefully, her family will be able to get her directly into rehab, without "Passing Go."
I asked an attorney friend of mine about this - he said exigent circumstances applied. Agree with whoever above said it depends where the drugs were found. If they're laying out in plain sight it's a legal search. And what idiot would be pissed off that the police entered without a warrent because gunshots were heard? I sure wouldn't. Even if I DID have drugs laying around. the moral of the story is: Hide your drugs in a drawer. It's not that difficult.
Chris hit the nail on the head. Drug laws are only for the poor and any skin shade aside from white. It's reality. And it's a shame.
This chick better get help. At our age, I'm sorry but to still be hooked on dope is just sad and pathetic.
What is sad is she has a Malibu home. What did she do to earn it? No wonder.
@Denise, honestly, I think McSpanky indeed would feel badly if she were not white and rich.
The problem is we rarely see the faces of real women in trouble from drugs because they don't get the attention of the media. But, we don't really have journalists left anyway who would pursue the story. No money in that.
her pupils are dilated in this photo
ya ask Mark Emery how those drug laws are doing....he's pretty fucking Caucasian if you ask me. Your drug laws don't work, period. Stop trying to blame race relations.
Tater, I did not mean to belittle your profession. I simply meant that a defense lawyer will often grasp at straws to present an alternative scenario -- which is what I think Annabella was doing with her ridiculous comment that cops "often" plant drugs.
The Emery plea-bargain deal collapsed because the Canadian Conservative government refused to approve its side of the arrangement. And getting Emery was a US AND Canadian joint venture.
It's so simplistic to blame USA drug laws.Won't resolve a damn thing and I am an Emery backer.
Kamala Harris is the DA in Malibu? Who knew?
Wow it's funny. Most of the people who get arrested in my hometownfor drugs are white Yes there Are the occasional drug runners for
Toledo-Detroit that are black. But the majority are white
I used to work for a sheriffs dept in colorado and when I moved back to Michigan I dealt with a lot of officers through my job. I never saw or hear of drugs being planted, although of a few of te guys I caught shoplifting decided to fight and hit me, I notice that their mugshot had a few more bumps and bruises on it.
Pen-a-lope, I don't suppose your name is a shout-out to Broken Lizard's Club Dread? If so, that is awesome.
Jax, just because some white people do get screwed by our absurd drug laws doesn't mean that the system isn't massively biased against people of color.
It's not a race thing...drug laws are for POOR people, of any color. Cops know who can't fight back, and they get $ for each person sitting in jail.
Since minorities in the US are more likely to be poorer, that's how their drug arrests are so disproportional.
Race-baiting, religion-baiting, and xenophobia are old tricks used to keep poorer people (the VAST majority) from banding together and changing anything. Mark my words, it's the oldest trick in the political playbook. I think Ramses the First came up with it.
I like how so many can pretend it is all about class and not about race. White girls usually get off or get lighter sentences, and other celebrities who aren't white and female, like Lil Wayne, TI and countless others also In drug related situations don't get a break. Plus, when you talk about poor people, just who do you think is more likely to live in poverty in this country? I'm not one for race baiting, but let's no pretend that race and class don't intersect in the justice system. It's condescending and unrealistic.
@Mooshki, My blog name is just a play off my real name Penelope. I did google the movie and I think I will try to find and watch it :)
...how is this a lawyer's review of the situation? This is a textbook case of "fruit of the poisonous tree." The cops did not have probable cause to search and seize drugs in the house. It is in the Constitution.
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