LEONARD MARELLA IS NO ANGEL, BUT HE DID NOT DESERVE THIS! - LEGALIZE DRUGS? - CALLMEMSTRACY's Blog - Bakersfield.com

Apr 15, 2008 at 11:04 AM : You posted this same...

You posted this same info yesterday.

Don't you remember?

Apr 15, 2008 at 12:04 PM : tracy, if...

tracy, if anything, the video, if used in a civil suit, will help clear the officers of any wrong doing. And when Marella gets out of prison, the odds are he will violate parole, run from the police and have it all happen over again. That's what these loser parolees do. You live in the 'dale and know it's a fact.

Apr 15, 2008 at 02:04 PM : Well, if he wins a...

Well, if he wins a million dollar lawsuit that should keep him in meth for a couple of months anyway.

Apr 15, 2008 at 03:04 PM : Geez, Tracy,...

Geez, Tracy, you've really got an obsession with this loser. You a relative or something?

Apr 15, 2008 at 04:04 PM : No catpaw,...

No catpaw, she's a fellow drug user...

Apr 16, 2008 at 03:04 AM : All I can...

All I can say is that I hope Mr. Marella will straighten his life out when he gets out of prison. There is always hope, anyway. Mr. Marella is a friend of mine and I do beleive he wants to do better and become a productive citizen. He begins a 3 year 8 month prison term on May 7, 2008.

Apr 16, 2008 at 06:04 AM : Which means...

Which means he'll be out in less than 2 years. I hope he turns his life around, too.

Apr 16, 2008 at 07:04 AM : Terrific....

Terrific. Another name on the never-ending list of people trying to "turn their lives around." Tell me, how long do the rest of us have to wait and what hazards must we endure while these people work on their "issues"?

While these individuals continue to make choices that involve selling meth, breaking into other people's homes to evade police and discarding loaded guns in children's yards, should the rest of us stand idly by and wring our hands at the superficial injuries they receive in a scuffle with police, or should we discourage this dangeorus and destructive behavior by refusing any sympathy to those who practice it?

You do what you want, Tracy. As for me, I will always choose the latter option.

Apr 16, 2008 at 07:04 AM : "Tu...

"Turn his life around" could mean that U turn right back into prison. Do you know what the recidivism rate is?

Call me skeptical but...............

Apr 16, 2008 at 11:04 PM : I have seen...

I have seen many people turn their lives around by getting out of the drug atmosphere; IT CAN BE DONE! People who use drugs are not loosers; they made some bad choices! For those of you who think you are better than a drug addict, I'd like to see if you could walk on water because I got news for you, you are no better than anyone else; the difference between you and a drug addict is that the drug addict made some bad choices. God created each and everyone of us equal; no one is better than anyone else.

Apr 17, 2008 at 02:04 AM : Oh for...

Oh for heavens sake Tracy, no one said people CAN'T turn their life around. I'm saying look at the statistics. When people like you start talking about people like Marella you always pull that crap about "you think you're so much better yadda yadda" like that has anything to do with anything. Besides, that's not what anyone is saying.

Is he a repeat offender or not?

Apr 17, 2008 at 09:04 AM : Why does it...

Why does it matter if he is a repeated offender that DONT GIVE BPD THE RIGHT TO ASSAULT ANYONE!!!!!!!!!! If it did then they should get to assualt anyone they want hmmmm would that be fair NOOOOOOOOOO.....

Apr 17, 2008 at 09:04 AM : And so what...

And so what if Tracy is a ex drug user its to my understanding her charges were dismissed ohhhh but your not going to tell about that huh oldblue

Apr 17, 2008 at 09:04 AM : o8er, I have...

o8er, I have mentioned that about her charges a couple of times on blogs. Too bad you missed them. You must have been on a binge at the time. (And I see you are still struggling with spelling and typing).

Apr 17, 2008 at 10:04 AM : For the record, the...

For the record, the drug charges against me were dismissed because I went through a 6 month drug rehab program and stayed clean during the entire 6 months. I was not arrested for the charges; I was cited and released! It happend on June 6, 2006.

Apr 17, 2008 at 10:04 AM : Nancy:&n...

Nancy: According to statistics, there is a 2% chance of drug addicts to completely recover from their addiction; It's a chance, but a small chance. No one wants to be a drug addict; it isn't fun. I am not trying to be rude or hateful to you or anyone; I am just trying to get a point accross that the fact that Mr. Marella is a drug user does not give the Bakersfield Police Department the right to beat the living heck out of him or anyone else.

Apr 17, 2008 at 11:04 AM : callmestaccy...

callmestaccy where did you get the statistic that only 2% of all drug addicts can qiut.

Apr 17, 2008 at 11:04 AM : The...

The "beating" you claim didn't happen because he used drugs, it happened because he resisted arrest.

Further, the saying is that "9 out of 10 of you will be back." The odds are better now but still not good. Generally speaking, the older they get, the more likely they are to give it up but the recidivism rate is still high for drug offenders.

Some say they decided it was time to grow up. Some say they were tired of losing everything. So please.. don't try to blow smoke.... People quit when they're ready to quit.

By the way..statistics can, and are, skewed depending on who's doing the stats so don't bet the farm on any of them. We had an approx. 30% rate for successful completion of the program. What isn't factored in is how many time they go through those programs.

Tracy, if you completed PC 1000, you skated. Try Prop 36 and get back to me.

Apr 17, 2008 at 11:04 AM : Callmemstacy ...

Callmemstacy Drug users especially tweekers and crack heads are loser's. They sure in the hell ain't winners. Back in the day when I was tweeker I made a lot of Bad decisions that made me a loser. To not call a tweeker a loser is to give him a free ride. That BS that NA teaches about ''we are not bad people trying to get better-We are sick people trying to get well'' Sorry but sick people don't steal from moms purse. sick people don't commit burglaries. Sick people don't abuse their children, sick people don't run from the cops. Bad people do all of these things. Tweekers are losers!

Apr 17, 2008 at 12:04 PM : Tracy: ...

Tracy:

Leonard's not just a drug user, he's a drug DEALER. Moreover, on that day, he was an ARMED drug dealer. So all this simpering about poor helpless addicts is pretty irrelevant.

Second, why are you so ready to accept that the cops who caught somebody breaking into your apartment were perfectly justified in putting the dog on somebody for a property crime, but the cops who went after the ARMED, DRUG DEALING, HOUSE BREAKING Leonard Marella were wrong ? Because he's a friend of yours?

Maybe you could issue "Friend of MsTracy" T-shirts to all your drug dealer friends, so the cops know to take it easy on them...

Apr 17, 2008 at 02:04 PM : tracy, let...

tracy, let me school you for a minute. You WERE arrested for H&S 11357b, possession of less than one ounce of marijuana, and H&S 11364, possession of drug paraphernalia. I assume you had proper ID, so you were cited and released, instead of going to jail. Once you completed your drug classes, the charges were dismissed. If you would have failed to successfully complete the classes, you would have had to go back to court and probably receive a fine, jail time, probation, or a combination.

So, if you ever go fill out an application for a job, like at the Dollar Store or Fasttrip, and they ask if you have ever been arrested, the correct answer is "yes".

Apr 17, 2008 at 02:04 PM : Ah but if...

Ah but if you completed the program and filled out that application you could check "no" as to whether or not you'd ever been "convicted" since the charges were dropped.

Of course that doesn't take away from the fact that you DID commit the crime...you just skated by completing the program. And I say good for you. My favorite thing was to see people complete drug diversion successfully..and not come back.

Apr 17, 2008 at 02:04 PM : Nancy, did...

Nancy, did you know a guy by the last name of Cooper, I think, who had a beard, back in the mid-70's? He ran the drug diversion classes back then out of an office on Mt. Vernon.

Apr 17, 2008 at 03:04 PM : OB, The...

OB, The 70's would be before my time in the field but Cooper doesn't sound familiar. The only ones who have drug diversion now as far as I know would be the county and Aegis. Would that have been out of the office on Mt. Vernon where STEPS is now?

Apr 18, 2008 at 03:04 PM : Hi Old...

Hi Old Blue! Although I was not physically taken into custody, I know I have a record, but I also know that all the charges were dismissed. I know that, if a prospective employer runs my criminal background, the charges listed will come up, although the charges were dismissed. The reason I already knew this was because I worked for the Housing Authority of the County of Kern and I did their criminal background checks on their applicants; I worked there for 15 years. I worked with CJIS when I worked for the Housing Authority. Leonard did find an out of town attorney to take the case; the attorney saw the video. I am hoping though that some good will come from this because I would honestly like to see Leonard out of the drug thing all together.

I was sentenced to PC1000 and one year probation after that; I completed both and I have a certificate from the PC1000 program. Although I did not have a fine to pay, I did have to pay the $550 fee for the Aegis Program. I completed the program because I wanted to; not because I had to because I still had a choice. I could have chosen jail, but I did not. Thanks for your posts!

Apr 18, 2008 at 04:04 PM : On a job...

On a job application or any type of application, if it ask for my criminal background, I would have to write down exactly what I was cited for, but I can also let it be known that the charges were dismissed because that is what my criminal background record shows.

Apr 18, 2008 at 04:04 PM : Aegis gave...

Aegis gave you a certificate of completion without paying for the program? Now that would shock me. Program requirements for completion require payment in full. It's in your contract.

Apr 18, 2008 at 04:04 PM : NancyII: I...

NancyII: I know the Prop 36 program is much more difficult than PC1000 because, with Prop 36, you have to call in daily to see if you have to drug test and many of the people on Prop 36 are in it for a year or more. In addition to the drug tests, there are weekly classes to attend. Prop 36 is much more demanding than PC1000. With PC1000, I had a class once a week plus I attended NA meetings once a week. The PC1000 program lasts for 6 months and , during that 6 months, you must pass 3 drug tests.

Apr 18, 2008 at 04:04 PM : Congrats...

Congrats CALLMEMSTRACY not very many people can complete a drug program

Apr 18, 2008 at 04:04 PM : Only 10%...

Only 10% complete PC1000.......you should be proud of yourself callmestracy. Are you still attending NA meetings?

Apr 18, 2008 at 05:04 PM : Stacy,...

Stacy, you're lucky you went through the Bakersfield Court. If you'd gone through Shafter Court you'd have had to call in daily just as the Prop 36 clients do. Not a program requirment, but a court requirement. Apparently I misunderstood your comment about the money. I could have sworn you said you hadn't paid it yet. My apologies if I was wrong.

It's a good program if people take advantage of the information given. As the old saying goes, you get out of it what you put into it. Good for you.

Apr 18, 2008 at 05:04 PM : Nancy you...

Nancy you have to call daily with PC1000 to but after 3 clean tests you don't test again unless they suspects you of using.....

Apr 18, 2008 at 06:04 PM : Gube, it...

Gube, it depends on the court. In Bakersfield they test 3 random times per counselors direction. In Wasco they are all under Judge Ingalls and he issues them a number that they have to call every day and test every time their number comes up even if it's once a week. For a long time all felonies for Wasco were out of the Bakersfield court and misdemeanors were out of Shafter but it's different now. The only ones who were only required to test per counselors were the ones kept by Bakersfield, like Delano. It's all garbled now and, like I said, the court can do what they want. The program rules only require 3 tests in a 6 month period. And by the way, it's often longer than a 6 month program when the clients miss groups.

Personally I wouldn't issue a certificate of completion until I had one final clean test. How could I say it was a successful program if they were still using? Or I didn't know if they were still using. Theoretically they should have one a week or two after starting, one midway, and one at the end. One thing you learn, not all clinics run the program in exactly the same way but the requirements are all the same for completion. I worked with some great people in probation and when the clients were trying, we helped make it work. Judges have their requirements and the program has theirs.

The county sets the requirements for all providers in KC but I talked to a probation officer up north and their PC program was only 6 weeks long. Different strokes.

edit....I guess it's harder to explain on here than in person. I did all the English speaking intakes and know the requirements by heart. I had to read them to the clients and only needed the paper for a prompt. The difference comes not in the program but in the court requirements. (did I say that...lol)

May 29, 2008 at 12:05 PM : Looks like Leonard...

Looks like Leonard Marella is back in jail, this time for....Possession of Meth!

http://www.bakersfield.com/hourly_news/story/456898.html

Oddly, though, he didn't resist arrest this time- perhaps he learned a lesson from his last arrest. If only he could learn the same lesson with regard to methamphetamine, he could quit wasting taxpayer money arresting him over and over...

Anybody know how to find out which dipstick judge let this loser out on bail after he pled to the last charges? This drug dealer ran from the cops, broke into a house, and threw a loaded gun where a little kid found it. Then some nitwit magistrate thought Marella should be okay on the streets until he feels like getting sentenced!!! What are we paying the justice system for?

Jun 1, 2008 at 04:06 PM : I DID graduate from...

I DID graduate from the PC1000 Program. I recieved my Certificate of Completion from PC1000 after testing negative on all three drug tests and after paying them $550 for the program; I was sober the entire 6 months. I also have a letter signed by a judge which states I have finished the program after completing PC1000 and staying out of trouble for a year.

As far as Leonard Marella is concerned. Yes, he is in jail again. I never agreed with what Mr. Marella did, however, regardless of what he did, he DID NOT deserve to have the hell beaten out of him, tasered in the face with a Taser gun, or bitten by a police dog.

I am hoping that when Mr. Marella gets out of prison, he will have received some type of training so that he won't go back to the old habits that got him where her is now.

Jun 1, 2008 at 05:06 PM : How many times do you...

How many times do you have to go to jail to learn a lesson?? His lesson is don't do drugs and don't throw them out the window. What kind of training is needed for that?

Jun 1, 2008 at 05:06 PM : Michele1075: ...

Michele1075: We are all guilty of doing things we know we should not do. I am not agreeing with what Mr. Marella did; I am just saying he did not deserve to be mistreated by the Bakersfield Police Department. And, for the record, Mr. Marella did not throw the dope out the window; his girlfriend did. According to the police report, one Deputy says he saw Mr. Marella throw the dope out the window, however, his girlfriend (Lisa) said she was the one who thew the dope out of the window. This just goes to show that not all police reports are accurate or true!

Jun 1, 2008 at 05:06 PM : Thanks for clearing...

Thanks for clearing that up since I only heard what the media put out. But in order to change your life you must change your lifestyle, which it seems he didn't. I just remember your blogs and how he will change and yada, yada, yada. And once again, he's in trouble again. You are correct in saying we are all guilty in doinf things we shouldn't however most people learn from their mistakes. Well, good luck on getting your friend to turn his life around, seems like you have a long road in front of you.

As far as police beatings=I don't agree with them regardless of what color you are and I wasn't there so I really can't say. I can say if I was presumably beaten by the police, I'd make it a point to not have any future contact with them.