- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Upper Lake couple plead not guilty in marijuana, weapons case; preliminary hearing set
LAKEPORT, Calif. – An Upper Lake couple on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to drug and weapons charges stemming from an investigation into a fatal shooting at their home.
James Michael Jean, 50, and his wife Nora Katherine Jean, 49, accompanied by their Arcata-based attorneys, entered the not guilty pleas in Lake County Superior Court, according to Senior Deputy District Attorney Art Grothe.
Both James and Nora Jean are charged with cultivation of marijuana and possession of marijuana for sale at their business, Lake County Car Audio and Security, located at 325 W. Highway 20, Upper Lake; cultivation of marijuana and possession of marijuana for sale at another property at 6841 Broadway in Nice; and a special allegation of possession of multiple firearms in the commission of a felony.
James Jean is facing two charges of a felon in possession of ammunition, one charge of a felon in possession of weapons, and a special allegation of previous violent felony convictions stemming from six second-degree robbery cases for which he was convicted in Southern California in the early 1990s.
The investigation that led to the discovery of large amounts of marijuana and weapons began on Christmas morning, when sheriff's deputies responded to the Jeans' property at 1475 Hunter Point Road on the report of an alleged intruder who had been shot.
Deputies found the body of 30-year-old Maurice Oliver Watts III in an area of the 19-acre property that appeared to have been a former marijuana grow, with a fake gun near him, according to the original sheriff's report.
No further details have been released by the sheriff's office about the cause of death for Watts, whose autopsy was conducted last week.
Between all three of the Jeans' properties, Sheriff's Narcotics Unit detectives found and seized 980 pounds of marijuana, three handguns, 13 rifles, and restricted armor piercing and tracer ammunition.
The case for which the Jeans currently are being prosecuted has to do only with the properties at 325 W. Highway 20 in Upper Lake and 6841 Broadway in Nice, according to Grothe.
He would not comment on any matter related to the Hunter Point Road property or the continuing investigation into who was responsible for shooting Watts.
Grothe said the original bail amounts for the Jeans – $500,000 for each of them – have been reduced since their Dec. 26 arrests, with James Jean's bail now at $300,000 and Nora Jean's at $150,000.
On Tuesday afternoon Grothe received a motion for a source of bail hearing that's scheduled to be heard at 8:15 a.m. Friday.
Grothe said the Jeans did not waive time – the process by which a defendant in a criminal case can allow trial courts to take longer in prosecuting the case – so the case is moving forward quickly.
The Jeans are set to return to court for their preliminary hearing on Wednesday, Jan. 15, Grothe said.
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