Trial Ordered on Count of Illegal Eating
- Share via
A Long Beach man accused of breaking the law by eating a cough drop on a Metro Blue Line passenger platform has been ordered to stand trial Feb. 1 in Compton Municipal Court.
Ricky Gonzales, 31, was cited by a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy for eating “hard candy” at the trolley line’s Florence Avenue station, where consumption of food is banned.
Gonzales has claimed that he popped the cough drop in his mouth Nov. 23 because he was suffering from a sore throat brought on by the flu.
His lawyer, George Bird Jr., unsuccessfully sought this week to have the ticket dismissed on grounds that a cough drop is not food.
Gonzales, an unemployed father of a 2-month-old, recently moved to California from a Paiute Indian reservation in Nevada. He faces a $250 fine if convicted of the eating violation.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
