Good news today! thumbsup
Remember back in February the LA Police arrested Ray Charles' longtime recording engineer and friend, Terry Howard, accusing him of stealing "priceless" "master" tapes? They threw him in LA County Jail (awful!) for 2 weeks pending bail, crazy story....... anyway good news today is after all summer of preliminary court dates and postponements, finally today the judge threw it all out, importantly before it went to trial, and Terry Howard's name has been cleared!
I am really happy for him. It was a sick case, the whole thing. Malicious and inhumane and I am so glad that finally a good judge saw through the DA, the lack of evidence and chucked that circus out of court!
Now Terry can begin to get his life back. It is wonderful news.
Edit: and now it has hit the AP wire.
USA Today article
More in the news:
RedNova article Yahoo news report
After a lengthy preliminary hearing today Superior Court Judge Samuel Mayerson dismissed all charges against Terry Howard, the long-time sound engineer and producer for the legendary Ray Charles, who was arrested in February by the Los Angeles Police Department following a search of his studio/residence. Mr. Howard was accused of theft and receiving stolen property after Ray Charles recordings were found during the search.
The judge concluded that the prosecution had not presented sufficient evidence to show that Terry Howard intentionally sought to illegally possess those items nor did he seek to deprive Ray Charles Enterprises of their possessions. The judge indicated in his ruling that there was no evidence presented that Terry Howard ever tried to sell the recordings or profit from them in any way. He also noted that at no time did anyone, including employees of Ray Charles Enterprises and the LAPD, ever ask Terry Howard to return any recordings which he might have had in his possession. He also acknowledged the testimony of a witness who indicated that routinely Ray Charles had asked Terry Howard to do restoration and production work at his home studio, thus explaining why Terry Howard had working copies of Ray Charles' recordings there. The judge also noted that on at least one occasion Terry Howard was instrumental in retrieving Ray Charles' recordings from European companies and getting them returned to Ray Charles Enterprises, another indication that Terry Howard's behavior showed that he had never tried to profit illegally from Ray Charles' recordings.
Terry Howard's lawyer Steven Cron said, "When Terry Howard was first arrested, this came as a total shock to members of the music industry. Mr. Howard is highly esteemed for his professional talent and his integrity. As a result of this arrest, Mr. Howard spent nearly two weeks in custody and had his reputation besmirched. Today's ruling validates the faith that his many friends and supporters have in him."
Today's ruling is a total vindication for Terry Howard.
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