2nd McMartin Trial Judge to Hear King Case : Courts: Stanley Weisberg is a veteran of high-profile proceedings. He names Orange, Ventura and Alameda counties as possible new venues.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Stanley Weisberg, who presided over a number of high-publicity cases including the second McMartin Pre-School molestation trial, was appointed Friday to preside over the case of four police officers indicted in the beating of Rodney G. King.

Weisberg, a former prosecutor with a reputation as a no-nonsense judge who runs his courtroom in an orderly, timely fashion, was appointed in the King beating case after Superior Court Judge Bernard Kamins was removed for giving the appearance of bias.

Shortly after being appointed to the King case, Weisberg met for 45 minutes in closed chambers with prosecutors and defense attorneys, and then announced in open court that the trial most likely will be moved to Orange, Ventura or Alameda counties.

He also scheduled a hearing for Tuesday, in which defense attorney John Barnett will ask that the criminal charges be dismissed on the grounds that delays may have compromised the officers’ constitutional right to a speedy trial.

Four officers are charged in the beating of King after a car chase. The incident, which was captured on videotape and aired on television around the world, led to the formation of the Christopher Commission, which found numerous instances of brutality and racism in the Los Angeles Police Department. The furor also prompted numerous calls for the ouster of Police Chief Daryl F. Gates, who has announced plans to retire next April.

Weisberg, 47, the son of a sheet metal worker, was born in East Los Angeles and graduated from UCLA and the UCLA School of Law.

He later served for 18 years as a deputy district attorney for Los Angeles County, where he was assigned a series of high-profile cases. He successfully prosecuted Marvin Pancoast for murder in the slaying of Vicky Morgan, the mistress of business tycoon Alfred Bloomingdale. He also handled the case of Ricky Kyle, charged in the death of his millionaire father.

Weisberg was appointed a Municipal Court judge in 1986 by Gov. George Deukmejian, and was elevated to the Superior Court Bench two years later.

There, Weisberg was selected to replace Superior Court Judge William Pounders in the second trial of Raymond Buckey in the McMartin Pre-School molestation case. Pounders had been removed from the retrial because of his highly publicized appearances on television after the first trial ended.

More recently, Weisberg presided over the murder trial of Thomas Drescher, a Hare Krishna member convicted of killing a critic of the sect, and the trial of former Los Angeles Police Officer William Leasure, which ended abruptly when Leasure suddenly pleaded no contest to two counts of second-degree murder.

As a judge, Weisberg was praised for his compassion during the emotional McMartin case.

But others familiar with the judge said his demeanor is often cold. “His reputation has sometimes been that he can be a real unpleasant guy. Very dour all the time,” said one attorney.

Attorneys and prosecutors on the King case declined to discuss the merits of the three possible sites for the trial, which is scheduled for February. But courthouse observers and other sources speculated that the defendants would prefer Orange County, known for its conservatism, or Ventura County, home to many Southern California-based police officers.

It is believed prosecutors would favor Alameda County, a liberal county that encompasses Berkeley.

“I’m going to wait until after the hearing date on Tuesday before making any comments,” said Terry White, the deputy district attorney who is prosecuting the four officers.

Barnett said he would prefer a location “close to home” such as Orange or Ventura counties. Charged in the case are Sgt. Stacey Koon and Officers Theodore Briseno, Timothy Wind and Laurence Powell. All four officers have pleaded not guilty.