The Challenge
Deputies served a search warrant at a five-acre property in Wildomar. They found about 320 pounds of processed marijuana and 175 plants. Our client, a mother, was charged with marijuana cultivation (Health and Safety Code 11358), possession for sale (Health and Safety Code 11359), and felony child endangerment (Penal Code 273a). The felony exposure came from the child endangerment charge, which carries up to six years in prison. That charge also put her custody of her children at risk.
Our Strategy
We spent two years contesting the prosecution’s case. Our focus was the child endangerment count. The prosecution had to prove the children were actually placed in danger, and we challenged the link between the grow and the children at every stage. The District Attorney eventually dismissed both the possession for sale and the child endangerment charges. The case resolved as a single misdemeanor with one year of probation and parenting counseling. No felony conviction, and the family stayed together.
The Result
FELONY CHARGES DISMISSED; MISDEMEANOR RESOLUTION
Your Case Belongs at the Southwest Justice Center.
Your Defense Belongs Here.
If you were arrested in Temecula, Murrieta, Menifee, Wildomar, Lake Elsinore, Winchester, or French Valley, your future will likely be decided at the Southwest Justice Center (SWJC) on Auld Road. In these courtrooms, local knowledge is the ultimate advantage. Since 1999, Nic Cocis has been a weekly fixture in the SWJC, appearing before the same judges and negotiating with the same Riverside County prosecutors for over 25 years. We don’t just know the law — we know the specific nuances, procedural quirks, and judicial tendencies of the Southwest District. Whether you are facing a felony or a misdemeanor, you need a firm that treats the Southwest Justice Center as its home turf.
