VERDICT SPLIT IN MARIJUANA CASE

EUREKA -- A jury convicted a Bay Area man of transporting about 5 pounds of
marijuana but deadlocked on whether his friend was guilty of the same charge.

Christopher White, 26, was arrested by the California Highway Patrol Jan.
31, 1999, during a traffic stop. Officers found about 5 pounds of pot in
half-pound bags and $9,200 in cash in White's backpack.

Also arrested was White's friend Jason Fishbain, who was driving White and
his teen-age girlfriend back to the Bay Area after their van broke down in
Eureka.

Deputy District Attorney Nandor Vadas said the jury convicted White of
transportation of marijuana but deadlocked on a charge of possession of
marijuana for sale. The jury deadlocked on both charges against Fishbain, a
McKinleyville resident.

Vadas said White claimed the cash in his backpack was an inheritance from
his father.

White has one prior felony conviction for transporting marijuana in
Southern California, and another drug-related conviction in New York. He
faces a maximum penalty of four years in state prison. He is lodged in
Humboldt County Correctional Facility.

It has not been decided whether Fishbain will be tried again, Vadas said.