Cheyenne Lawyer Censured For Not Correcting False Testimony In Pot Case
Cheyenne attorney David E. Singleton has been censured by the Wyoming Supreme Court for not identifying testimony by a law enforcement officer in a marijuana trafficking case as being false.
That's according to a news release from the Wyoming State Bar. According to the release, Singleton brought charges in 2020 as a prosecutor against a pair of hemp farmers, a construction contractor, and the contractor's wife. They were accused of conspiracy to manufacture deliver or possess marijuana, felony possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, felony possession of marijuana, and misdemeanor cultivation of marijuana.
Singleton was working for the Laramie County District Attorney's Office at the time, according to State Bar Executive Director Sharon Wilkinson. He is now employed by the Cheyenne City Attorney's Office.
According to the release, a law enforcement officer whose investigation had led to the charges gave false testimony on material aspects of the charges in a preliminary hearing in the case. Singleton knew that the testimony was false, but didn't bring it to the court's attention. According to the release:
At the conclusion of the preliminary hearing, the presiding judge found there was not sufficient evidence of intent on the part of the defendants to possess, distribute, or conspire regarding marijuana and declined to bind the felony charges over to district court. One of the defense attorneys brought concerns regarding Singleton’s conduct to the attention of Bar Counsel for the Wyoming State Bar. As a result of Bar Counsel’s investigation, the parties reached a stipulation that Singleton had committed two violations of his obligation of candor to the court and agreed that a public censure was the appropriate sanction for such conduct.
In considering the stipulated resolution, the Board of Professional Responsibility (BPR) of the Wyoming State Bar was satisfied that Singleton acted with knowledge but not with intent to deceive the court in failing to correct the law enforcement officer’s false testimony. Therefore, the BPR approved the parties’ stipulated resolution and recommended that the Wyoming Supreme Court issue a public censure of Singleton. In adopting the BPR’s recommendation, the Court ordered Singleton to pay an administrative fee of $750.00 and costs in the amount of $50.00 to the Wyoming State Bar.
Wilkinson told Townsquare Media of Cheyenne that she could not identify the law enforcement officer who gave false testimony in the case.
A call to Singleton seeking comment on the report was not immediately returned.
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