Monrovia : Loitering Trial Set
Raymond Ramirez, an Azusa man whose challenge to the constitutionality of Monrovia’s loitering ordinance was rejected, will be tried for the misdemeanor offense Nov. 16 in Santa Anita Municipal Court.
The ordinance, adopted in 1990, makes it unlawful to loiter on city streets with the intent of selling drugs.
Ramirez, 26, arrested March 15, 1991, on suspicion of loitering, was represented by lawyers from the public defender’s office. They called the ordinance vague and too broad and asked a municipal judge to overturn it.
After the judge refused, higher courts, including the California Supreme Court, declined to review the lower court ruling and the case was sent back to the Monrovia court. On Friday, Ramirez rejected a plea bargain that would have ended the case, opting to stand trial.
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