(Publisher's note: I am seeking more details of the "junk science" passing as expert testimony said to be at the heart of this wrongful conviction - and will publish same when available. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog.
Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.
"We wanted share some great news
with you: yesterday afternoon the Tehama County Superior Court overturned the
wrongful conviction of NCIP client Larry Pohlschneider, 46, after nearly 15
years of wrongful imprisonment! Mr. Pohlschneider's attorneys and the Tehama
County District Attorney agreed that his 2000 conviction should be vacated and
the charges dismissed due to the ineffective assistance of Mr. Pohlschneider's
trial counsel... "Today marks the first step toward freedom and complete
vindication for Mr. Pohlschneider," said NCIP volunteer attorney Thom
Seaton. "An innocent man was pulled into a child-molestation case because
of junk science which led police wrongly to focus on him as an additional
perpetrator -- despite the fact that the true, sole perpetrator, Albert Harris,
had been charged, confessed, and ultimately pled guilty to the crime." "Tragically, junk science
passing as expert testimony is a contributing factor in 22 percent of wrongful
convictions and NCIP is actively working to free innocent people and establish
policies to prevent wrongful convictions like Larry's," said NCIP Legal
Director Linda Starr.
