A Burlingame police officer accused of possessing anabolic steroids for distribution met with his attorney yesterday, who now hopes the prosecution will drop the charges of intent to sell in light of new medical information that he wanted to use them for birth control and to increase his sex drive.
Robert Cissna was charged on Dec. 15 with two felony and three misdemeanor counts after he allegedly saw an ad for anabolic steroids in a muscle magazine and then placed an order over the Internet.
Defense attorney Michael Rains said he hopes they are moving towards a resolution because of the new information he presented to the District Attorney in a pre-trial conference yesterday.
Rains said Cissna's physician had prescribed another similar medicine to increase his sex drive and when Cissna asked about the anabolic steroid in the magazine, his doctor declined to prescribe it to him for "various reasons."
"We gave the D.A. medical information regarding Cissna supportive of the claims that the substances were not for sale. He possessed them with the intention of using it for himself. He had no intent of selling," Rains said.
Customs agents in New York seized packages containing more than 2,000 tablets of Methandrostenlone, a low-dosage testosterone, sent from Romania and addressed to Cissna at a Burlingame post office box.
Investigators later found more than 700 tablets of the steroids and 200 syringes in Cissna's home and Ford Ranger pickup, according to Steve Wagstaffe, San Mateo Deputy District Attorney.
However, Cissna acquired the drug, which Rains said he was using for increased virility and birth control, and was not aware the steroid in such a low dosage was illegal.
"He didn't think if he was ordering it off the Internet it was illegal," Rains said.
The defense hopes the prosecution will drop the charges of intent to sell to just possession.
"The law says it's not legal, so he should not have had it. But the law also says in this case a person would benefit from [drug] diversion," Rains said. "And Cissna is a perfect candidate for this because he has no record."
However, the prosecution insists on the intent to sell charge. If Cissna is charged with intent to sell he will not be a candidate for a drug diversion program, and he would serve time if convicted.
"We want the D.A. to amend the complaint for sale," Rains said.
The district attorney has requested even more information which Rains said will not be available until March 6. At that time there will be another pre-trial conference.
<
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
The Best Cymbidium and Orchid Show and Sale held in the San Francisco Peninsula will be the … Read moreAnnual Cymbidium & Orchid Show and Sale hosted by the Gold Coast Cymbidium Society & Peninsula Orchid Society
What is a fantasy in music—a form, or a freedom shared between performers? Read moreViolin Fantasie: Polina Sedukh, violin, Irina Behrendt, piano
Dirk van Ulden said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.