​​"Pot Plane Trial" Panel

​The latest in the West Virginia Public Defender Services Legends CLE ​Series

On June 6, 1979, a DC-6 cargo plane carrying tons of marijuana crashed into the hillside at what is now Yeager Airport. Several people were charged with crimes as a result.​​​

aerial photo of the crash, smoke among trees

Featuring:
  • Judge Robert B. King, 4th Circuit, moderator
  • J. Timothy DiPiero, Attorney, DiPiero Simmons McGinley & Bastress, PLLC
  • Rebecca A. Betts, Attorney, Kay Casto & Chaney
  • Jackie Hallinan, Attorney, who worked for the Charleston Gazette at the time of the crash
  • Gregory J. Campbell, Attorney, Campbell Law Office
  • John B. Carrico, Attorney, Carrico Law Offices LC
  • Mikal-Ellen Suzuki Bennett, Attorney, Kincaid and Associates, PLLC and author of The Politics of Pot
  • Jerome Lill, author of Final Approach

The panel will discuss the following issues surrounding the ensuing trial and what defense attorneys can learn from the presenters' experiences:
  • changes in Federal policy 
  • changes in law concerning marijuana, generally and in WV
  • disparate treatment of law enforcement defendants
  • journalism surrounding the event and the trial 
  • prosecution and defense strategies and mistakes made​

DateMarch 25, 2022
Time: 1:30 - 3:30 PM
Location: Zoom​, register here
Approved for 1.2 CLE cr​edits, free of charge.

Open to public defenders, panel attorneys, and support staff.