Timothy Leary, high priest of the psychedelic pop cult, received a one to ten year prison sentence in the Santa Anna Superior Court yesterday for possession of marijuana.
The charges stemmed from Leary's arrest on December 26, 1968, in Laguna Beach, California.
Leary faces additional sentencing on April 15 from an earlier conviction of ten misdemeanors. Apprehended in Millbrook, N.Y., last year, he faces an additional possible seven-year sentence.
Arrested along with Leary in Laguna Beach were his wife and his 20-year-old son, John. Mrs. Leary was sentenced to six months in prison last week; John was ordered under psychiatric care for three months.
The Leary family plans to appeal both cases and has already begun proceedings. Michael Standard, a defense attorney for Dr. Benjamin Spock, will handle the appeal stemming from the carlier conviction.
Mrs, Leary said Friday that the charges for which Leary was sentenced yesterday stemmed from two planted marijuana roaches and five specks of marijuana dust in Leary's coat pocket.
She added that her husband has been denied all personal contact with visitors. She claimed that during her twice-weekly visits, she and Leary are separated by a thick pane of glass and are permitted only 1$ minutes of conversation by telephone.
Despite the rulings and inconveniences, the family is unworried abouts its future. "We're rarely afraid, and Tim never," said Mrs. Leary. "Tim seems very serene and relaxed. He's been practicing a great deal of yoga these days."
In order to pay their legal fees, which could amount to $100,000, the family has started a fund-raising drive called 'A Freedom Fund for Timothy Leary and Family.' They will use as their motto, 'Timothy Leary Kidnapped by United States Government Officials; $100,000 Ransom Needed; Family Forced to Pay.'
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