SIMI VALLEY : Courthouse Protester Faces New Charge
A trial for a 41-year-old man accused of staging solitary sit-ins at the East County Courthouse was postponed Thursday after prosecutors filed an additional charge of trespassing, authorities said.
Christopher McGrath, founder of a fringe political party, was granted the postponement until April 14.
He was arrested March 1 after repeatedly going to the courthouse office of Ventura County Supervisor Vicky Howard and refusing to leave at the close of the business day.
McGrath faces four counts of trespassing and one count of protesting inside a court building, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Kathleen LaSalle.
McGrath, the founder of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Party in Simi Valley, remained in the Ventura County Jail in lieu of $500 bail, a jail spokesman said Thursday.
At the jail, he has refused meals in a protest over what he perceives as government atrocities. Jail officials said his weight is down about eight pounds since his arrest.
In court, where he represents himself, McGrath asked for the delay so he could have more time to prepare his case.
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