Judge Refuses to Reduce Councilman’s Theft Charge
A judge has refused to reduce a misdemeanor petty theft charge against a Walnut city councilman to an infraction--an offense that would have subjected him only to a fine rather than jail time, a prosecutor said.
Joaquin L. Lim, 46, is accused of taking $27 worth of food and goods from a Diamond Bar Albertsons supermarket in April. He has denied the charge, saying he intended to pay for the merchandise.
Prosecutors said that had Pomona Municipal Judge S. Clark Moore granted Lim’s request to have the charge reduced, the decision would have amounted to special treatment for a local politician.
Lim faces up to a year in jail if convicted.
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