The Michigan Daily
ol LXXXVII, No. 35-S Ann Arbor, Michigan-Thursday, June 30 1977 Ten Cents Twelve Pages
House defeats marijuana bi
Rep. slugs Bullard
after heated debate ti v||
By GREGG KRUPA f a
In a 24 hoar period worked by heated-and at one point physical z
-debate, the state House of Representatives amended, approved, ', .
and then defeated Ann Arbor Rep. Perry Bullard's legislation that p .
would have liberalized Michigan's penalties for possession of mari-
juana. s h
After the proposal was finally defeated yesterday, Bullard was
attacked bodily by Rep. Rosetta Ferguson (D-Detroit). Ferguson
hit Bullard with a closed right fist and follOwed the blow by smack- 3
ing him across the face with an ashtray in her left hand.
AS SHE PERPETRATED the attack, Ferguson yelled, "You
pot smoker! You pot smoker!"
Bullard, who has been sponsoring bills to liberalize pot since
his election to the House in 1972, asked his colleagues to approve
a proposal that would have done away with all penalties for private
possessionof 100 grams of marijuana-approximately three-and-a-
half ounces-and provided for a $50 civil fine for public possession
of the same amount.
On Tuesday, the House amended and passed the proposal to
provide for a maximum fine of $100 and a misdemeanor charge
See DOPE, Page 5
Carter to announce
B-i bomber stand
WASHINQTON (i)-President Carter says he will announce
his decision today on whether to build the B1 bomber.
Carter made the statement to senators visiting the White
House yesterday. His announcement is scheduled to be made
at a 10:30 a.m. EDT news conference. The major networks
will broadcast the news conference.
CARTER MET yesterday with Defense Secretary Harold
Brown for a final session to discuss the B1, White House Press
Secretary Jody Powell said.
"It's certainly reasonable to assume the President has in
his mind what he intends to announce tomorrow, but it's not
a final decision until it's announced," Powell said after the
meeting.
Powell indicated the President would inform members of
sangress of his decision sometime Thursday before announc-
ing it at the press-conference.
THE PRESIDENT'S options range from scuttling the pro-
gram entirely to producing all 240 bombers requested by the
Air Force. The latter would cost an estimated $24.8 billion.
See CARTER, Page 5
REP. ROSET'IA FERGUSON weeps softly as Rep. Matthew McNeely delivers an impassioned
speech urging the House to defeat a bill liberalizing marijuana use. The bill, 'passed Tuesday,
was defeated on a reconsideration vote yesterday 53-48.
VA nurses' fate in hands of jury
By KEITH B. RICHBURG
Speeial To The Daily
DETROIT-The fate of two nurses
charged with murder and multiple poi-
snings at the Ann Arbor Veterans Ad-
ministration (VA) Hospital is now in the
hands of the jury of nine women and
three men.
Federal District Judge Philip Pratt
gave the case to the jury at 3:05 p.m.
yesterday after an hour of instructions.
During that time, the original 16 jurors
were reduced by lot to 12. Pratt then ad-
ministered an oath to five U. S. Mar-
shals who swore to keep the jurors se-
questered.
THE JURY deliberated until 5:30 p.m.
and will resume today at 9:00 a.m.
The prosecution got the last word in
the case, in the form of lengthy closing
rebuttal by Asst. U.S. Attorney Richard
Yanko. Yanko took the opportunity to
bitterly chide Tuesday's defense argu-
mentc. The prosecutor told the jury that
defendants Filipina Narciso and Leonora
Perez really had no defense at all, and
that their lawyers "are throwing sand in
your eyes."
Yanko was referring to Tuesday's re-
marks by defense lawyers when they
accused the government of overlooking
other possible suspects in the case, such
as the mysterious "man in green," and
a nursing assistant (Bonnie Bates Wes-
ton) who was granted immunity from
prosecution. -
YANKO SAID Tuesday's implications
of other possible suspects were both ir-
relevant and a clever ploy to defend Nar-
ciso end Perez "by placing other people
on trial"
"They (the defense lawyers) engaged
in a rather deceptive- distortion of the
truth." Yanko said. "'They irresponsibly
malinged others."
Yanko said he felt compelled to re-
spond to each and every one of the de-
fense s comments because he was dis-
turbed by the "innuendos" and "veiled
accusations."
Yanko blasted defense attorney Thom-
as O'Brien for implying that a VA men-
tal patient may have killed victim John
Herman, the murder count against Nar-
ciso. Yanko said. the mental patient who
was seen in Herman's room was phyhic-
ally and mentally incapable of poison-
ing John Herman.
"But if you think that Ilan Warren
(the mental patient) killed John Her-
man, mark your ballot not guilty and go
on to the other seven," Yanko said.
YANKO ALSO responded to Tuesday's
allegetions that the FBI had mishandled
the investigation and that the Bureau
should have tape recorded vital'inter-
views with key witnesses who have since
changed their stories.
"Alt of those things were thrown out.
The reason, I suggest to you, was to
create a smoke screen," Yanko said.
"You have to judge those things and
See VA, Page 7