Central Union High School student Adelina Zambrano, in her role as a defense attorney during the Imperial County Mock Trial, uses "Exhibit 1" to make a point during opening statements Thursday of the Mock Trial finals. PAUL NILSON PHOTO

By HEATHER BREMNER, Staff Writer
Friday, February 20, 2004 2:13 PM PST

Fraudulent credit card purchases. One thousand dollars in a student's back pack. An unclaimed digital camera found in the library's Russian-language section and a paper trail that singled out one girl.

That was the evidence that led officials to allege Madison Casco, a Mansville High School senior, had used a teacher's stolen credit card number to purchase expensive electronic equipment online during school hours.

The school's librarian pointed the finger at Madison after finding a digital camera hidden in a stack of books and noticing it had been purchased with Madison's password during the time the senior worked as an aide in the library.

On April 3, 2003, Madison was arrested for credit card fraud.

During pre-trial deliberations before Imperial County Superior Court Judge Raymond Ayala Cota the defense and prosecution teams argued the merits of allowing into evidence the large sum of money school officials found in Madison's back pack during a routine drug search.

That was the gist of the Imperial County Mock Trial finals that Southwest and Central Union high school students participated in Thursday night in Brunner's Restaurant in El Centro.

Thursday's final lasted much longer than Mock Trial finals of the past — past 9 p.m. — but in the end Central High students, who played the defense team, were the winners.

Cota ruled Madison, played by Central student 17-year-old junior Melanie Manix "not guilty" and passed the torch back to Central, which last won in 2002.

This was Central's 12th win at the county level. The Spartans won the state Mock Trial competition in 1998.

For more than two hours, defendants argued that $1,000 discovered by drug-sniffing dogs should not be entered as evidence into the case because during the search police officers were looking for marijuana.

They argued that Madison has inalienable privacy rights and they were violated when her bag was searched and her property seized.

Madison's team of attorneys also pointed out their client has a steady job as a waitress and the cash in her back pack was money she had saved.

The prosecutors argued the search and seizure was justified and the money should be entered as evidence in the credit card trial.

Cota hemmed and hawed, touching on the issue of privacy for citizens and the unique situation that applies to students.

"Really what you look at is the reasonableness (of the search)," said Cota. "Both of the teams talked about the balance of privacy for students and the interest of students to ask for the search."

Cota said the search was reasonable so he was not going to suppress the $1,000 found.

Holtville High School won Mock Trial in 2003 but this year Southwest and Central were the two schools that made it to the finals after weeks of competition.

Playing the part of witnesses, attorneys, bailiffs and the accused, high school students act out an entire case.

Although most of the trial was dry and serious, Central High attorney Adelina Zambrano, a 17-year-old junior, elicited a laugh from the audience when she asked the librarian about the height of her library shelves.

"Approximately 6.5 feet tall," the librarian answered.

"Almost 7 feet tall then, correct?" asked Adelina.

"Halfway there, yes," said Librarian Pat LaPoint, played by Bianca Encinas, a 16-year-old student at Southwest.

During Thursday's trial, Central High attorneys called to the stand Madison's boss, who defended her morality and loyalty by talking about a time when she ran after a customer to return a wallet that had been left behind at the restaurant.

He also talked up his hard-working employee, saying she has "regulars" who come to his establishment for her service.

The defense seemed to have Cota convinced that Madison was not a thief until the chemistry teacher whose credit card was stolen took the stand.

The teacher said she figured out someone had stolen her credit card when she noticed a purchase for a $1,000 digital camera on her monthly statement.

Since she had never bought the camera she knew something was wrong. When she searched through a pile of credit card receipts she kept stapled together in her desk drawer she noticed one had been pulled from the pile.

Through her testimony the court found out she only allowed three students to eat lunch in her classroom unsupervised.

Madison was one of those students but so was Devon Wilshire and River Lenox.

The defendants tried to point the finger at Devon — a fine line to walk since she's not the person on trial — but the prosecutors only pointed that out once.

"Objection," said Breanna Zwart, a Southwest senior, 17, of the prosecution team. "Devon is not on trial."

Cota thought for a few minutes and said he would allow it.

Although Breanna only brought up that issue once, the fake attorneys were obviously well-versed by real attorneys to object whenever in doubt.

Southwest and Central spent the evening jumping from their seats and yelling "objection" with a sometimes unrehearsed explanation following.

>> Staff Writer Heather Bremner can be reached at hbremner at ivpressonline.com or 337-3445.