Vandalism Trial of 4 Officers Postponed
A Los Angeles Municipal Court judge on Friday postponed the “39th and Dalton” vandalism trial of four police officers for two weeks, at least until a new lawyer on the defense team can familiarize himself with the case.
The postponement until Oct. 11 came one day after Judge Larry Paul Fidler removed James Wilson as the attorney for Capt. Thomas D. Elfmont. Fidler said the attorney-client relationship between the two had broken down to the point that Elfmont would not “communicate” with his own lawyer.
The judge also ruled that the involvement of Wilson’s firm in another court case represented a conflict of interest. Elfmont was allowed to find someone else to represent him in the criminal case.
The Los Angeles police captain, along with Sgt. Charles (Ted) Spicer, Officer Charles Wilson and Officer Ted Parrick, are charged with vandalism and conspiracy to commit vandalism as the result of an Aug. 1, 1988, police raid on four apartments in South Los Angeles.
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