Bangor Township Man Charged With 2 Felonies In Alleged Illegal Marijuana Grow Operation

[bobandtorey]

BAY CITY, MI — A 40-year-old Bangor Township man is charged with two felonies due to police alleging he misused a medical marijuana grow operation to illegally sell weed.

In the early morning of Monday, Feb. 9, a Bay County Sheriff's deputy searched two garbage cans in the 100 block of Lagoon Beach Drive in Bangor Township after receiving information that drugs were being sold from a house there, according to court records. The deputy found approximately 36 grams of suspected marijuana, a half-rolled joint and related paraphernalia, court records show.  

The next morning, officers with the Bay Area Narcotics Enforcement Team, or BAYANET, and the Michigan State Police Emergency Services Team executed a search warrant on the house in question. Inside at the time was resident Steven M. Sanderson, his girlfriend and their 5-year-old son, court records show.

Officers found a marijuana grow room in the garage and numerous burned joints throughout the house, as well as a glass jar containing about 50.1 grams of marijuana, court records show.

The woman provided officers with documentation that she is a licensed medical marijuana caregiver with four registered patients, one of whom is Sanderson, court records show.

Under the state's Medical Marihuana Act, caregivers can grow up to 12 plants producing 2.5 ounces of usable marijuana for each of their five patients and themselves. Caregivers can receive "reasonable compensations for services provided to assist with a qualifying patient's medical use of marihuana," according to the state's website.

Sanderson was adamant to police that the grow room, containing 24 plants, was solely his and that his girlfriend had no involvement in the crops' cultivation. He also said he was only a medical marijuana patient and not a caregiver, court records show.

The woman told police she ran the grow room, but did not know how many plants were in it or what their strain was, court records show.

Police seized a cellphone that contained text messages implicating Sanderson in illicit marijuana sales, according to court records. They also seized $2,312 in cash and the woman's 2009 Jeep Wrangler, purchased a month beforehand with $13,000 in cash, court records show.

Sanderson told police he is unemployed but receives about $800 per month in disability payments, court records show.  

Authorities issued a warrant for Sanderson's arrest on April 24. He voluntarily appeared for his arraignment in Bay County District Court on Tuesday, May 12, on two counts of delivering or manufacturing between 5 and 45 kilograms of marijuana. The charge is a seven-year felony.

Sanderson is to appear for a preliminary examination before District Judge Timothy J. Kelly at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 23

 

 

http://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/index.ssf/2015/06/bangor_township_man_charged_wi_12.html

[t-pain]

never talk to pooleece.

[bobandtorey]

And never open your doors to let them in to count your plants

[bobandtorey]

a Bay County Sheriff's deputy searched two garbage cans ?

 

Is it still illegal to have cannabis in your Garbage ?

[Restorium2]

Have the talk with your significant others and make sure you are all on the same page;

 

When the chit hits the fan you say this over and over:

 

WE ARE ALL IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE ACT AND IF YOU WANT SPECIFICS ASK OUR ATTORNEY

 

They will go away eventually and you will have a position of strength to work from. 

[Restorium2]

And never open your doors to let them in to count your plants

They had a warrant.

[Restorium2]

NEVER text about cannabis. NEVER. Text is one of the hardest things to suppress. It's on record forever. Even killing the Patriot Act wouldn't stop them from using your text messages against you. Might as well be a post on faceboink.

[imiubu]

Police seized a cellphone that contained text messages implicating Sanderson in illicit marijuana sales, according to court records. They also seized $2,312 in cash and the woman's 2009 Jeep Wrangler, purchased a month beforehand with $13,000 in cash, court records show.

Sanderson told police he is unemployed but receives about $800 per month in disability payments, court records show.  

Authorities issued a warrant for Sanderson's arrest on April 24. He voluntarily appeared for his arraignment in Bay County District Court on Tuesday, May 12, on two counts of delivering or manufacturing between 5 and 45 kilograms of marijuana.

 

 

I don't think anyone should go to jail for cannabis but...

It appears they may have not thought things through?

 

How did leo decide upon "between 5 and 45 Kilograms"?

Did I miss something?

[imiubu]

Okay, but how does 36gr, 50.1gr some half burned joints and 24 plants even equate close to the minimum of 5keys?

I mean we all know 5kilo = 11 lb.

I'm confused I guess.

[Restorium2]

Maybe the text messages were explicit enough to get a total over 5 kilos.

 

Starting high on the count is how they do it. Having a wife and a five year old involved is a lot of leverage. They had him before he even knew it. He set himself up for failure. Just a matter of time ....

[imiubu]

Thanks Zap.

 

I should have been more clear in my first post

 

I am not seeing any evidence thus far supporting the charges.

 

They may have made some foolish decisions ie.. paying out cash that

their income doesn't support but... who knows. perhaps a family member

passed away and left her some cash?  Could be any scenario to justify the

purchase and cash on hand and it is not my intent to assume any wrong

doing on their part as leo and the media most often does.

[Restorium2]

I see. Yes, there are no facts in the story that support that charge, at all. In my haste to be helpful, I misread your statement.

 

I think I can see their twisted thinking angle;

 

(ii) If the amount is 5 kilograms or more but less than 45 kilograms, or 20 plants or more but fewer than 200 plants, by imprisonment for not more than 7 years or a fine of not more than $500,000.00, or both.

 

Sanderson was adamant to police that the grow room, containing 24 plants

[bobandtorey]

Things change at 21 plants as we all know 1-20 then 21-200  then its 14 years and a one Million dollars fine am not sure now

[trichcycler]

would have helped maybe  if they both knew WHO held the cg card, WHO tended the garden, and who threw cannabis into the garbage can for the love of shiva.

 

I know how nervous a knucklehead can be with cops in their face. Hopefully this couple will not be in trouble for misunderstanding the questions. Seems the garden was compliant, possession was too. The man was thinking he was protecting his woman is all I think. So what if he made 13 k since 2008 and bought a truck to make deliveries.....he's allowed to receive compensation, even if he saves it up.

[t-pain]

Meh, never believe the police version of events, they are frequently wrong.

[trichcycler]

 Truth or not, we the know police often say they are in the right, and growers often say they were compliant. Until we know the whole truth,... the article's contents and this thread is all we got to work with for discussion of the post.

13k

jeep confiscated

implicating text messages

man told cops about his income source and amount

man said plants were his, woman says hers with cards.

 

 sounds like a confusing one way questioning  during a raid to me

Edited June 6, 2015 by grassmatch

[bobandtorey]

Sh-t Happens 

[budpuffer]

what should be your only words to police...you'll have to ask my attorney because i ain't sayin' nothing...lol...then its up to your attorney to decide what it is you didn't say...bp

[Kingdiamond]

Never I repeat never put anything cannabis related into your curbside trash no dirt bags no nutrient bottles no old stalks leaves maintain a separate can and pay to take to it a landfill or burn it.

[king cannabis]

I agree with bud puffer and kingdiamond. True words of advice right there.

[BirdHunter]

And If you use iOS 8 Apple cannot unlock your iPhone. If you use a pass phrase, they will never get into it. If you stick with the 4 digit code however, they can brute force crack that in a matter of hours.