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Marijuana Activist Plans To Sue Carroll

bobandtorey

By bobandtorey
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bobandtorey Advanced Member

bobandtorey

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A medical marijuana activist from Detroit arrested in Carroll County in 2016 says he will appeal his cases all the way up to the Supreme Court with a goal to “cost Carroll County as much money as humanly possible.”

 

Keith Olson of Michigan, and founder of C.R.A.P. (Criminalize Racketeering Against Patients), caused quite a scene Friday morning in front of the Carroll County Governmental Complex after being found guilty for speeding, going 82 miles per hour in a 65 mph zone on October 25, 2016. Olson held a one-man protest in front of the courthouse Friday, holding signs that read “Carrol (sic) County Psychopath $heriff$” and “Blue Lives Murder – 1,500+ in 2016.”

Olson’s issues in Carroll all date to October 25, 2016. On that day, he was arrested twice on Interstate 77 in the county, both for speeding (82 in a 65 and 79 in a 65). During one of the stops, he was also charged with possession of marijuana after authorities allegedly found the narcotic in the man’s vehicle. Olson claims he has a license to carry medicinal marijuana in Michigan and that Virginia does not have jurisdiction over such a charge.

Olson was found guilty of the first speeding charge (79 in a 65 mph zone) on Dec. 9, 2016. He was set for a 9 a.m. trial Friday in Carroll County General District Court for the second speeding charge of 82 mph in a 65 mph zone. As he was absent from the courtroom when his name was called, Judge Edward M. Turner, III found Olson guilty in absentia.

Olson is due back in court in Carroll County on Feb. 17 for the possession of marijuana charge. Olson said he plans to appeal all charges against him.

“My plans are to cost the county as much money as humanly possible, get an appeal court win for medical marijuana patients and sue everyone,” he said.

After appealing his guilty verdict Friday, Olson took to the outside of the Carroll County Courthouse to protest as he held the previously mentioned signs and made a video.

 

“The Carroll County Sheriff is out of control. They are pulling people over on the interstate in record numbers. There are 500 people on the docket in there. Everybody $300 apiece,” Olson claimed during his protest. “I am here today at five minutes after nine. I travel eight hours and the police meet me at the door and tell me I am found guilty in my absence. How do you even know my name? I am not from Carroll County. They are using the community. They are abusing us. The net team is taking everybody off the roads, stealing our money. The feds are matching that money and they are buying more cops. There are more cops in this community than you need. This courtroom is what, a $200 million courthouse? The one over there would be just fine if they weren’t pillaging in the town and just attacking the community for profit. They are policing for profit, they don’t care about anybody. There is no justice, no nothing. I am here to attack them, to waste the net team’s budget and cause as many problems as humanly possible.”

Reactions were mixed as bystanders came and went in front of the Carroll County Governmental Complex. Some people greeted Olson as they entered the courthouse with words of encouragement like, ‘Amen brother,’ while one observer was overheard saying ‘I wish someone would whoop his (butt).’

Olson said he plans to sue the county on claims of Mens Rea (the act is not culpable unless the mind is guilty), the Full Faith and Credit Clause (in which he contends “courts must respect rulings by other courts that do not enforce an unconstitutional cannabis prohibition against citizens”) and the Freedom of Religious Protection Act (contending the Commonwealth is violating his First Amendment Right to exercise religious freedom, saying cannabis is recognized as a Holy Sacrament of the Church, and is used in religious practices in multiple faiths in the worship of various Gods and spirits around the world).

“I have the right to put whatever I want in my body regardless of what these maniac psychopath scumbags are going to say about it. They do not have the right to abuse the community,” Olson continued during his protest. “Obviously they have to attack everybody. This is coming all the way from Detroit. So if you are going to attack Detroit, Detroit is going to attack you. You don’t get to have my weed.”

Olson said his Mens Rea claim is a Constitutional challenge that will keep Carroll County’s “hands full.” He claims states such as Virginia that do not allow medicinal marijuana have to abide by state’s laws such as Michigan and California that do allow it. Olson said he has similar claims in other jurisdictions.

“Right now I am in civil court with Royal Oak, Michigan and I have started the claim of damages at $480 million,” he said, adding that he was harassed by members of the Carroll County Sheriff’s Department when he was arrested last year.

“They pulled me over for speeding and found crumbs of marijuana on my floor. Six cars were there, they had their chests stuck out, intimidating, being all rude, dogs were all there barking, looked like a scene out of war. There was nothing in the car,” Olson said. “So they scraped the carpet and find maybe two-tenths of a gram, not even enough to smoke. I put in a motion the other day to test the plant. They don’t even have enough plant material to test. So I am driving down from Detroit three or four times trying to get some justice. I am going to force a ruling for all three of those claims and I will take every single one of them to the Supreme Court and it will cost this county a million dollars. I have already done it once to Michigan.”

Carroll County Sheriff J.B. Gardner said he had no issues with Olson’s protests Friday in front of the county complex.

“As an old veteran I am excited he is outside protesting. He absolutely has a right to protest outside that building,” Gardner said. “He can’t come in and protest, but he can stay outside and protest and I will defend his right to protest. I think that’s great. It’s free speech and I am a fan of the Constitution.”

Gardner said Olson is not facing any jail time for the two counts of speeding and simple possession of marijuana. The Sheriff said he also has “little to no problem” with marijuana, saying it has had much less of an effect on the county than alcohol. Regardless, it is still illegal to possess in the state of Virginia.

“He is not in Michigan. He is in Virginia and our law right now currently says it is illegal,” Gardner said. “If you have a license in Michigan, I am excited, that’s fine. But it’s not legal in Virginia yet. I don’t make the laws and until the legislature changes the laws, he is protesting at the wrong place. If he really wants to do some good, he should go to Richmond and speak to folks there where he might make a difference. We don’t write laws. We are only left to enforce what they write, whether you like them or you don’t.”

 

http://thecarrollnews.com/news/2709/marijuana-activist-says-he-plans-to-sue-carroll-county

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