Judge Denies Defense Motions In Oakland 'Riders' Case

A judge today denied several hotly debated defense motions to dismiss charges against three former Oakland police officers accused of criminal misconduct. Defense lawyers for the former officers, who are charged with conspiring to beat and frame suspected drug dealers in West Oakland in 2000, alleged that prosecutors and Oakland police officials have intimidated witnesses by disciplining  several officers who testified on behalf of the defendants  in their first trial.  [more]