Bartlesville attorney Peter J. Knowles won a significant victory for a local business owner when he filed a motion to dismiss charges of Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Dangerous Substances and Maintaining a Business where Controlled Dangerous Substances are Sold. A court granted the motion, sparing the local store owner potentially lengthy prison term.
As Mr. Knowle’s motion explained, the substance the store owner sold was not illegal. Oklahoma legislators had passed a law banning the substance, but the law was not yet in force. The business owner had explained the situation to officers who raided his convenience mart, but it was only after he hired an attorney to make his case that the case was dismissed. A person can not be prosecuted for laws that are not yet in effect.
