Merced County students get courtroom experience in mock trial

High school students from around the county on Wednesday played the parts of prosecutors, defense attorneys and witnesses during a fictional human-trafficking case heard at the Courthouse Museum in the county’s first mock trial.

The mock trial was an opportunity for students in Delhi’s public safety academy to apply their in-class lessons, said Araceli Pena, a career technical education program specialist at the school.

“It gave them the great opportunity to have a real-life experience in the courtroom,” she said.

The mock trial was put on by the Merced County Office of Education and the Merced County District Attorney’s Office. Teams from Delhi, Dos Palos and Pacheco High in Los Banos competed in three rounds, and each team acted as both the prosecution and defense. Attorneys from the District Attorney’s Office coached the three teams, and attorneys from the Merced County Bar Association scored their performances.

Names of the “victim” and “defendant” as well as the circumstances were made up, but the problems debated by the teenagers were real.

The prosecution alleged that restaurant owner Cameron Awbrey targeted Lin Stark, an immigrant and cook at his restaurant, and forced her to work long hours for lousy pay. Awbrey also allegedly locked Stark into an apartment he provided for her, the prosecution said.

But the defense argued that Awbrey was a caring boss who treated Stark like family. That argument won favor with presiding judge Larry Morse II, the real-life Merced County district attorney, in the first round of the competition.

“The students, it’s amazing that they can do a trial,” said Sara Rosenthal, a deputy district attorney who coached Delhi. “When we started, nobody had been to court or seen a trial. I don’t think they knew what they were getting into.”

Lindy Munoz, a 16-year-old student at Delhi, said she wants to be a defense attorney. Being in a courtroom was intimidating, she said, even though she was prepared.

“It’s good to get out of your comfort zone, and this was really out of my comfort zone,” she said.

Corbett Browning, a partner at Mason, Robbins, Browning & Goodwin in Merced, was one of the scoring attorneys and offered some tips after the first round.

“Force the other side to think on their feet,” he said.

“With the prosecution, you carry the burden (of proof). The defense gets to poke holes in the case,” Morse said.

Rosenthal said she told her students it was important to listen to witnesses and adapt their arguments.

“You can be super prepared, but you have to be able to adjust,” she said.

Munoz said that above all, she learned an attorney must be an advocate for the client.

“Even if you have your doubts, you have to find something and believe in it.”

This story was originally published January 11, 2017 at 6:18 PM with the headline "Merced County students get courtroom experience in mock trial."