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Criminal

Aug. 14, 2018

Prosecutor promises dead pelican won’t testify

A frenzy broke out after the prosecution attempted to admit the carcass of a large pelican as evidence.

Prosecutor promises dead pelican won’t testify
Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge James Herman rejected a prosecution attempt to present a pelican carcass to the jury in the criminal negligence case surrounding the 2015 Refugio State Beach oil

SANTA BARBARA — A frenzy broke out in the courtroom Monday after the prosecution attempted to admit the carcass of a large pelican as evidence, promising it would not make any statements, during the criminal negligence trial stemming from the Refugio State Beach oil spill.

Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge James Herman told the prosecution he would not allow “a dead animal to be brought in and presented to the jury, for all k...

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