A 15-year-old in Washington state was charged with “Possession of Drug Paraphenalia” when a narc-dog pointed out his locker and a search turned up three film cannisters he used for fishing tackle. One of the cannisters contained a micro-smidge of something green that tested positive for THC, but wasn’t in sufficient quantity to provide a basis for a drug-charge. Only one problem: Simply possessing drug paraphenalia isn’t a crime in Washington state — as the 15-year-old found out when he started looking around online. He took over his own case and fought it all the way to the State Supreme Court — and won.
Judge Baker, apparently irritated at the prosecution’s inability to outsmart a minor in her court, reportedly stated to Joshua, “Don’t laugh when you leave this courtroom, thinking you have beat the system because you have looked these things up yourself. We are going to get you down the road.”