County Mock Trial Finalists Are Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands

Rancho Cucamonga and Redlands high schools will battle for the championship of the 38^th annual San Bernardino County Mock Trial title on Jan. 18.

The two schools survived two days of semifinals that ended today. The finals will take place at the Foothill Law and Justice Center in Rancho Cucamonga (8303 Haven Ave.).

Redlands, a finalist in the competition since 2010, is looking to win its record 16^th county title and fourth in the past six years. Rancho Cucamonga is seeking its first county title.

For the finals, there will be sessions in the morning and the afternoon with both schools playing the roles of defense and prosecution.

In the semifinals that took place on Jan. 15-16 at the San Bernardino Courthouse, Redlands defeated Los Osos while Rancho Cucamonga edged Oak Hills of Hesperia.

The Mock Trial competition simulates a criminal case where students portray the principal courtroom characters on both sides of a case before a real judge. This year’s case is People v. Masumoto, a murder case. The San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools and the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s office are co-sponsors of the competition. The winner of the county competition will advance to the state finals in March in Los Angeles.