Page 2-Wednesday, May 17, 1978-The Michigan Daily
ACCEPTS MISDEMEANOR CHARGES
Cartwright leaves state Senate
By MICHAEL ARKUSH
State Sen. Arthur Cartwright (D-
Detroit) agreed to resign yesterday af-
ter admitting he altered a $4.50
restaurant bill he received last fall
during a trip to Atlanta and claimed
$45.80in reimbursement from the state.
Cartwright pleaded guilty yesterday
in Ingham County Court to the lesser
charge of a misdemeanor, which could
result in the maximum penalty of a 90-
day jail sentence or $100 fine or both.
The eight counts of felonious charges
against him were dropped by state At-
torney General Frank Kelley. Besides
consenting to the reduced charge, Car-
twright agreed to not seek re-election
and to pay back the state $692.22.
CARTWRIGHT was charged with
five counts of the felony "uttering and
publishing", the offense of signing
checks and not being-able to account for
them, by Kelley after a long in-
vestigation. The total amount in that
charge exceeded $600. Kelley assumed
the case after a Detroit newsman said
he found a difference in the amount of
money that was in Cartwright's
checking account and the value of the
checks he signed.
Dennis Archer, Cartwright's attor-
ney, yesterday said his client decided to
plead guilty to the lesser charge of ob-
taining money under false pretenses af-
ter it became evident the Attorney
General had a "powerful case against
him." 4
Archer also claimed the climate
surrounding a possible trial would not
have produced a fair decision.
"IN LIGHT of Watergate and the
Geralds conviction last week, I don't,
believe my client would have received a
fair trial," Archer said.
Cartwright's resignation from the
state legislature marks the second state
representative to leave in one week.
Last week, convicted embezzler Rep.
Monte Geralds (D-Madison Heights)
was expelled from the House.
A conviction on the felony charges
could have netted the Detroit senator a
possible 14-year jail sentence. Archer
said he expects the judge will dismiss
any jail sentence when Cartwright is
sentenced on June 7.
CARTWRIGHT WILL officially
resign May 31. It is expected Governor
William Milliken will quickly call for a
primary and a new election. Cartwright
had previously announced he might
seek re-election but yesterday's plea
bargaining eliminated that option.,
Cartwright's trip to Atlanta was paid
for by the public, making it a crime in
the public trust. It was highly expected
the Senate would have expelled the 68-
year-old senator had he not agreed to
resign.
"We thought that since it was a
breach of the public trust, we had to
seek a bargain whereby he could not
run again," said Stanley Steinborn, the
chief assistant to the Attorney General.
MOST SENATORS seemed relieved
Cartwright spared them the same
tough action the House faced last week
when it removed Geralds.
"It shows he has enough concern for
the Senate by alleviating any long
drawn-out debate which would have en-
sued," said Sen. Anthony Derezinski'
(D-Muskegon).
"The whole House was torn apart by
the Geralds case and it's a good thing
we didn't have to go through that inthe
Senate because we have a lot of work to
do," Derezinski said.
SEN. GILBERT Bursley (R-Ann Ar-
bor) said he sympathizes with Car-
twright but said the Senate would have
definitely expelled him.
"He was a fine man and I've known
him for many years, but we can't forget
what he did and he would have cer-
tainly been removed," Bursley said.
See CARTWRIGHT, Page 10
Bullard storms out of
pot refornm
LANSING (UPI) - Rep. Perry
Bullard (D-Ann Arbor) stormed out
of a House Judiciary Committee
meeting on a marijuana reform bill
yesterday, angrily charging the
measure's critics with hypocrisy.
Bullard was particularly unhappy
over demands for stiff prison terms for
adults who give or sell even small
amounts of marijuana to minors. Some
lawmakers "continue to find something
t~ hearing
wrong because its good politics ... to
attack the bill," he said.
IT WAS GENERALLY agreed that
the outspoken Ann Arbor Democrat's
outburst has not helped prospects for
House approval of the Senate-passed
measure which eliminates jail
penalties for possession of small
amounts of marijuana.
For the past several years, Bullard
has been a key figure-and a highly
controversial one-in the debate over
lowering pot penalties in Michigan.
Some years ago he openly louted the
states pot laws by participating in the
annual Hash Bash at the University
campus. Last year, he was in the
headlines again when Rep. Rosetta
Ferguson (D-Detroit) crowned him
with an ashtray during House con-
sideration of a marijuana reform
measure which was ultimately
defeated.
BULLARD SAID it may be necessary
to put off further consideration of the
pot bill until after the upcoming elec-
tion to reduce political influences.
He singled out Rep. E. Dan Stevens
(R-Atlanta) as one committee member
who was obstructing the measure for
political reasons.
Stevens called the charge "stupid."
He said Bullard "has never done
anything to get my vote."
Further committee action on the bill
was expected later this week.
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
volume LXXxVIIL No. 11=5
Wednesday, May 17, 1978
is edited and managed by students at the University
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