Misdemeanors

Van Nuys Municipal Court Commissioner Kirkland Nyby donned his judicial robes and walked out of his chambers, heading for the court of first resort. He was the presiding judge that day in Division 101, the point of entry for the vast majority of misdemeanor cases in the San Fernando Valley. If his judicial role was going to his head, he was hiding it well.

Prosecutors filed two misdemeanor charges Wednesday against actor Nick Nolte stemming from his arrest last month in Malibu. Nolte, 61, faces one count of driving under the influence and one count of being under the influence of a controlled substance, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office said. Prosecutors believe that Nolte had taken gamma-hydroxybutyrate, also known as GHB, before he was stopped along Pacific Coast Highway while driving erratically Sept. 11.

The state Supreme Court on Thursday cleared the way for cities and counties to allow defendants in minor misdemeanor cases to avoid prosecution by participating in rehabilitative and community service programs. The court unanimously upheld a state law authorizing local pretrial misdemeanor diversion programs, ruling that a provision giving prosecutors veto power over such projects did not violate the constitutional separation of powers.

A Signal Hill oil recycling company pleaded no contest Tuesday to a misdemeanor charge of illegally storing about 100,000 gallons of oil-laden waste water at an abandoned Long Breach refinery and paid $60,000 in fines. Superior Court Judge Richard F. Charvat closed the case against Petroleum Recycling Corp. after hearing testimony that the firm had removed and properly disposed of the waste in a tank at Wright Terminals in Long Beach, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Joseph P. Charney.

An Ojai woman who lived in a minivan with 20 rabbits and kept 70 more in a squalid barn was ordered Monday to perform 160 hours of community service designed to teach her how to properly care for animals. Ventura County Superior Court Judge James P. Cloninger said he did not believe 60-year-old Norma Keyzers intended to harm the rabbits she kept.

Fifteen suburban Chicago teenagers were charged with misdemeanor battery for their alleged roles in a hazing incident where high school girls were beaten and showered with filth. The 17- and 18-year-old seniors were charged as adults and face up to a year in jail. Authorities accused adult residents of affluent Northbrook of stonewalling the investigation into how the teens acquired beer.

Seeking to ease the load on federal judges in San Diego, the U.S. attorney's office has decided to pursue only misdemeanor charges against first-time offenders accused of dealing as much as 100 pounds of marijuana, judges and lawyers said. The policy, which has been in place for several weeks, allows an accused offender who could face felony charges to plead guilty to a misdemeanor for having up to 100 pounds of marijuana, judges and lawyers said.

EL CENTRO The Imperial County district attorney will not file charges against a former NFL linebacker accused of getting into a dispute with a county fire official. The El Centro Police Department had recommended misdemeanor charges of reckless driving, challenging to fight and resisting arrest be filed against Glenn Cadrez after a February dispute with El Centro fire Capt. Scott Casillas. Police also had recommended that a charge of making criminal threats be filed against Cadrez.

Los Angeles city prosecutors filed misdemeanor charges Friday against Eve stemming from a traffic accident in Hollywood last week. The 28-year-old rapper-actress (real name: Jihan Jeffers) was charged with driving under the influence, driving with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 or above and failure to provide proof of insurance, said Frank Mateljan, a spokesman for the city attorney's office. The charges stem from an April 26 arrest in which officers stopped Eve at 2:40 a.m.