Police officer’s sentence reduced in marijuana case

Former Honolulu police officer Michael Steven Chu’s sentence was reduced from eight months in jail  to seven months for conspiring to grow and possess marijuana to sell.

U.S. District Chief Judge Susan Oki Mollway sentenced Chu last week, but re-sentenced him to seven months today because she said she had made an error in calculating the sentence suggested by the federal court advisory sentencing guidelines.

Judges do not have to abide by the guidelines but are required to calculate and consider them when determining penalties.

Mollway also extended to April the date by which Chu needs to turn himself in to begin serving his jail term so he can spend time with his terminally ill grandfather. Chu’s previous reporting deadline was Feb. 13.