Witnesses’ Testimony Postponed in Olson Trial

Testimony of two witnesses in the murder conspiracy case of alleged SLA member Sara Jane Olson, which had been scheduled to be given Friday in Sacramento Superior Court, has been postponed.

Witness Marceline Jones, 80, has been hospitalized for a broken hip and is taking pain medication, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. She cannot be examined while being medicated for pain, district attorney spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said.

Prosecutors have been granted permission to conduct conditional examinations of three Sacramento-area witnesses in poor health prior to the scheduled Sept. 24 start of Olson’s trial. One of them, Dorothy White, was interviewed by lawyers Friday in her home. Prosecutors are attempting to reschedule the public examinations of Jones and Evelyn Burns for next week.

Each of the witnesses is expected to testify about a woman seen during a bank robbery, allegedly committed by the SLA, in the Sacramento suburb of Carmichael. Prosecutors contend that money stolen from the bank helped finance the materials Olson is charged with using to plant bombs under two LAPD squad cars.