Evidence of Judge’s Drug Use Disclosed

A veteran Los Angeles County Superior Court judge who pleaded no contest to a charge of driving under the influence of drugs admitted to authorities that he smoked marijuana regularly, a prosecutor said Monday.

Robert B. Lopez, 56, who has served as a Superior Court judge for 13 years, entered his plea to the single misdemeanor charge in Van Nuys Municipal Court last week. Additional misdemeanor charges of being under the influence of cocaine and possession of marijuana were dismissed as part of a plea agreement, Deputy City Atty. Laura Van Eyk said.

Lopez was sentenced to 36 months of probation, ordered to enroll in a 90-day drug treatment program and fined $1,600, Van Eyk said. He will continue to serve as a Superior Court judge, she said.

Under the terms of his probation, Lopez is required to report his progress to authorities once he finishes his 90-day treatment.

Neither Lopez nor his attorney, Wade Douglas Olson, could be reached for comment Monday.

Authorities said a urine sample submitted by Lopez shortly after his arrest in Studio City on June 13 indicated that he had traces of marijuana and cocaine in his system.

Lopez had been driving erratically, swerving in and out of the eastbound lanes of Moorpark Street near Laurel Canyon Boulevard, when police stopped him about 10 p.m., Van Eyk said.

After failing a sobriety test, Lopez was arrested and booked on the misdemeanor charges. He later told police that he smoked marijuana regularly and that he had last smoked the night before his arrest, Van Eyk said. Lopez, however, told police that marijuana was the only drug that he used, the prosecutor said.

Police found four partially burned marijuana cigarettes and a small amount of marijuana during a search of Lopez’s 1969 Mercury Cougar, according to court documents.

Cynthia Dorfman, associate counsel for the state Commission of Judicial Performance, declined to comment Monday on whether the commission was looking into the matter. Dorfman did say that in cases where a judge has been convicted of drug use, the commission could recommend to the state Supreme Court that some disciplinary action be taken, ranging from a letter of reprimand to possible removal from office.

In 1981, Lopez served as the presiding judge in the legal battle to desegregate the Los Angeles Unified School District. The case, which was brought on by a lawsuit filed by the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People against the school district, was recently dismissed by a federal court judge.

More recently, Lopez rejected an attempt by California Lottery officials to overturn a $3.4-million judgment awarded by a jury to a Los Angeles woman who was denied a $3-million lottery prize when her Big Spin ball bounced out of its slot.