Alameda County Spent $144K On Relocated BART Shooting Trial

OAKLAND (AP) -- A newspaper is reporting that Alameda County prosecutors spent more than $25,000 on airfare and $55,000 on lodging during the Los Angeles trial of a transit officer who officer shot and killed an unarmed passenger.

The Contra Costa Times said Wednesday that the total bill for the district attorney to try former BART officer Johannes Mehserle in Southern California comes to more than $144,000.

A jury convicted Mehserle in July of involuntary manslaughter for the New Year's Day 2009 shooting death of 22-year-old Oscar Grant on an Oakland train platform.

A judge agreed to move his trial in response to a defense motion that cited racial tensions and concerns about whether an unbiased jury could be seated in Oakland.

The DA's expenses also included $16,900 in other hotel costs and $17,200 in personal expense claims.

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