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1 Medical Marijuana and Associated Issues Presented to the California Chiefs of Police Association January to March 2010 Captain M. Regan Criminal activity continues to be closely tied to marijuana. As the business of selling marijuana grows, so does the violent crime that follows its use, cultivation and sales. A disturbing and continuing trend is the conduct of home invasion robberies resulting in the victimization of those cultivating and possessing marijuana. Also evident based on recent events is the fact that violence following the use of marijuana is also a factor. As stated in the past, Dispensaries are also targeted for violent take over style robberies based upon the availability of larges quantities of drugs and cash. Apparent pot thief dies in Nevada County getaway chase By Andy Furillo Monday, January 4, 2010 Two would-be pot robbers descended on Tobacco Road to rip off another kind of smoke Saturday, but they wound up fleeing for their lives – and one of them not successfully, Nevada County authorities said. In the latest case of its type in the hamlet of North San Juan, two suspects wearing ski masks, fake police uniforms and declaring themselves members of a drug task force burst into a ranch house on Tobacco Road with their guns drawn. They handcuffed four people who were inside the residence, authorities said. Sheriff Keith Royal said the gunmen stole cell phones, a camera and computer equipment, but they appear to have targeted a large stash of packaged marijuana – a couple of pounds of it at a minimum. "It's so remote, there is a large contingency of individuals who like to grow marijuana in that area," Royal said. "There's no doubt in my mind that this is why that home invasion robbery took place." Saturday's incident, which was called in on 911 at 10:08 a.m., resulted in the death of one of the men who engaged in the rip-off, Royal said. The unidentified thief and his partner threw two plastic bags of their skunky loot into a Ford F250 pickup registered to an Elk Grove address and then took off southbound from North San Juan on Highway 49, according to the sheriff. Back at Tobacco Road, however, one of the men cuffed up at the wrists with a plastic zip tie was able to free himself. He jumped into his own pickup and gave chase, Royal said. The sheriff said the pursuer tried to ram his truck into the rear of the getaway vehicle and may have tapped it a couple of times. In return, one or both of the suspected marijuana robbers fired several rounds from their weapons at the truck on their tail, according to Royal. About six miles from Tobacco Road, the driver of the suspects' truck lost control and slammed into a tree on Highway 49 near Sauer Lane. Royal said the driver died at the scene. Authorities flew the dead man's partner to Sutter Roseville Medical Center for emergency care. The injuries, however, did not require his admission to the hospital, and sheriff's deputies took him into custody. The passenger is expected to be booked on homicide and robbery charges, Royal said. The sheriff added added that the driver who chased down the robbers is likely to be charged, too, with assault with a deadly weapon. Authorities found one handgun and a shotgun in or near the Ford pickup and another handgun several hundred feet away, the sheriff said…..According to Royal, one of the four people on Tobacco Road "said he had medical needs" requiring marijuana. "I think the story wasn't quite truthful," Royal said……"Every year we're seeing one, two, three or four of these events – home invasion robberies for marijuana," Royal said. "We've had some of them with serious injuries." In September, a multiagency task force raided 10 locations in and around North San Juan and filed a federal criminal complaint against three people in what authorities described as a big-league marijuana operation. Besides pulling up hundreds of plants and seizing more than 100 pounds of processed pot ready for 2 packaging, federal agents filed sworn declarations that the man they identified as the ringleader of the operation, Charles Miller Hilkey Jr., had moved about $1.7 million through his bank accounts. Sheriff Royal said Saturday that Hilkey, a local contractor who could not be reached for comment, also had about $200,000 in cash at his Badger Hill Road residence. With all that money and all that dope on what locals in North San Juan call "The Ridge," Royal said it comes as no surprise that his deputies get 911 calls along the lines of the one that came in Saturday. "It's unfortunate, but it's the nature of the beast for these commercial growers," Royal said. "They grow larger quantities of marijuana, people find out, and they think, 'Why worry about growing it? Let's just go rip it off.' "And that's what we're seeing, an increasing number of serious violent crimes involving home invasion robberies where marijuana is the target." http://www.sacbee.com/crime/story/2434375.html Maine couple found dead in California embankment worked at pot-growing operation, authorities say. By Associated Press /Mar 09, 2010 CLEARLAKE, Calif. (AP) — Authorities have identified two bodies found in an embankment as a Maine couple who worked at a Northern California marijuana growing operation. Thirty-two-year-old Frank Maddox and his 40-year-old wife, Yvette, disappeared from Lake County in January after agreeing to give their employer a ride to the Sacramento airport. Sheriff's Capt. James Bauman says the employer, Robby Alan Beasley, is a "person of interest" in the case. He was taken into custody Saturday on a no-bail fugitive warrant from Maine for a probation violation related to criminal threats and assault charges…… http://www.sunjournal.com/node/810841 Reno ex-felon pleads guilty this morning to murdering a man to get drug money By Jaclyn O’Malley • jomalley@rgj.com • January 14, 2010 A Reno ex-felon pleaded guilty this morning to the first-degree murder of a 22-year-old California man he bludgeoned in order to rob him for drug money. Quincy Ray Solomon Julian, 31, who goes by “D” and “Q,” also pleaded guilty to attempted robbery with the use of a deadly weapon and grand larceny. He was scheduled a Feb. 16 sentencing, where he faces a life sentence without a chance for parole…..Julian had only introduced himself as “D” to the out-of-state men he had known only a matter of hours. Kellison and his friend Robert Murray had been visiting Reno when they met Julian earlier that day. Later, the men and one of Julian’s friends were drinking and smoking marijuana in the motel room that Kellison and Murray rented, police said. Julian and Kellison were left alone when the other men left to look for prostitutes, police said. While Julian was high on marijuana, he fatally beat Kellison over the head with Murray’s rifle because he wanted to sell the firearm for drug money. Murray bought the rifle at a Reno gun show that weekend. Immediately following the beating, Murray appeared at the door. Police said Julian attacked Murray and tried to steal his car keys….. http://www.rgj.com/article/20100114/NEWS01/100114032/1003/CARSON/Reno-ex-felo n-pleadsguilty-this-morning-to-murdering-a-man-to-get-drug-money Jesse John Crow Arrested: Husband Arrested in Wife’s Death By Ryan Thursday, February 18th, 2010 Jesse John Crow, arrested in connection with the death of Ryann Bunnell Crow, had been charged with killing his wife. This is the latest high-profile cause in which the husband arrested in wife’s death after her disappearance. Jessee John Crow’s wife Ryann has been missing for over two weeks. Authorities have gathered forensic evidence which led to the arrest of Jesse John Crow. Ryann’s body has not been found, and Jesse is currently being held in the Monterey County Jail on $3 million bail…..In executing search warrants related to the case police discovered over 300 marijuana plants in the home. One theory police are investigating is whether Ryann knew about the plants and threatened to turn Jesse into the 3 police. This is one of many angles police appear to be working on this case. The case will be more difficult to prove without recovering Ryann’s body, but the fact that no body has been found will not prevent the case from progressing….. http://law.rightpundits.com/?p=1246 Pentagon shooting suspect's parents are 'devastated,' say an illness prompted his 'terrible decision' March 5, 2010 | 2:50 pm The parents of John Patrick Bedell, who was shot to death after pulling a gun on Pentagon police guards, said Friday they are “devastated” by the incident, adding that “his actions were caused by an illness and not a defective character…..Bedell, 36, of Hollister, Calif., had mental health problems and had used marijuana, according to authorities, friends and court records……Patrick, he said, had suffered from mental illness for at least 15 years. “He probably was mentally ill for that period of time,” said Monaco, a retired schoolteacher. “He seemed rather paranoid. He was a heavy marijuana user and tended to selfmedicate with marijuana. I don’t know if he used other drugs.” Nevertheless, Monaco said, Patrick also was a “gentle person.”…..The father told San Benito County deputies that he was concerned for his son’s safety. He said Bedell had a medical marijuana card, had been detained for mental evaluation before and had no friends or relatives on the East Coast. In 2006, Orange County court records show, Bedell was arrested and charged with cultivating marijuana and resisting arrest. The marijuana charge was later dropped and he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor of resisting arrest. He served three years’ probation, which ended in August, and for which he did Caltrans community service, according to court records. Irvine police arrested Bedell at his apartment on Amherst Aisle after neighbors reported him growing marijuana on a balcony. Seeing the plants, officers obtained a search warrant for his apartment. Four days later, they returned and found 16 marijuana plants, along with an irrigation system, lights and other growing equipment. Bedell was alone in the apartment, according to the police report, and was arrested. He refused to leave under his own power and officers had to carry him to a patrol car. Officers confiscated cards listing his name and a business, One Gram Cannabis, said Irvine police Lt. Henry Boggs….. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/03/pentagon-shooting-suspects-devastate d-say-illnessprompted-his-terrible-decision.html Suspects in Lakeport shooting and robbery due in court for preliminary hearings next week Written by Elizabeth Larson /Friday, 19 February 2010 LAKEPORT – The defendants alleged to have been connected to a brutal October assault case were in court on Friday for preliminary hearings, which were postponed due to the illness of a detective…..They're being tried on charges in connection with the Oct. 20 attack on 49-year-old Ronald Greiner of Lakeport, who was shot, brutally beaten – suffering numerous broken bones all over his body, including his face – and hogtied with barbed wire, with 10 pounds of marijuana in his home stolen. “He would have died had he not been discovered,” District Attorney Jon Hopkins told Lake County News on Friday…..The prosecution alleges that Dudney is a member of the Misfits motorcycle gang, and that Wandrey was a membership prospect who took part in the crime to earn his stripes. The violence of the attack, said Hopkins, is a trait connected with the Misfits, which don't have a large presence on the North Coast, based on this investigation…..All are being charged with gang membership or participation, a gang enhancement and witness intimidation, said Hopkins……The witness Dudney is accused of threatening had moved into a Sonoma County home where he was staying, and Rhoades said the subject had moved into Dudney's room, took his belongings and was getting rid of them, as well as allegedly lying about Dudney's involvement in the case….. http://lakeconews.com/content/view/12675/919/ 4 Man Shot During Robbery at Medical Marijuana Clinic January 26, 2010 Los Angeles: Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) detectives are investigating the robbery and shooting of an employee at a medical marijuana clinic. On Jan. 8, 2010, at about 2:10 p.m., LAPD Devonshire Division officers were dispatched to the 8900 block of Reseda Boulevard where a 33-yearold medical marijuana clinic employee was robbed of his wallet and shot. Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics also responded to the incident and transported the victim to a local hospital where his condition was listed as stable. Although surveillance video footage of the robbery is available, the suspect still has not been identified and detectives are hoping the release of the footage will assist them in identifying him….. http://lapdblog.typepad.com/lapd_blog/2010/01/man-shot-during-robbery-at-medical-marijuanaclinic.html Grandpa, 67, Holds Off Three Marijuana Robbers By Steve Elliott in News Thursday, Jan. 28 2010 They're not going to get James Tillman's weed. Tillman, 67, on Sunday shot and wounded one of three burglars who broke into his Sacramento, California home to steal his medical marijuana, reports Elyce Kirchner of CBS13.com. The other two fled and haven't been seen since. Mr. Tillman was definitely having none of their nonsense. After all, his grandkids were at home. Tillman was in his bedroom when the intruders tried to go all gangster on him, but he wasn't trippin.' "We went back and forth and I shot him," Tillman said. "They just didn't give a damn. They knew we were in here, with the lights on, and with kids." The robbers were after Tillman's marijuana, but he grabbed his guns (a 9mm pistol and a shotgun) and was too quick for them. He shot a 19-year-old suspect in the hand. That suspect has since been arrested. But police say at least three intruders were in Tillman's home, and the other two have yet to be apprehended. http://www.tokeofthetown.com/2010/01/grandpa_67_holds_off_three_marijuana_robbers.php Medical marijuana sale ends with with robbery and Riverside police chase Tuesday, March 30, 2010 On March 29, at approximately 11:35 p.m., police received a report of an armed robbery that had just occurred in the 5200 block of Chicago Avenue. The caller reported that he had agreed to meet with a customer to make a sale of medical marijuana. When the customer arrived he had two others with him. The three men robbed the victim at gunpoint of a large quantity of individual packages of marijuana and left in a Mercury SUV. They were unaware the victim was following them and calling the police. Officers who responded to the call received periodic updates on the suspect and victims’ direction of travel and location. The officers caught up with the vehicles on the 91 Freeway near Van Buren. The suspects refused to pull over when the officers tried to stop them. They fled in their vehicle for several miles before exiting at Magnolia and stopping on Pierce where the officers conducted a high risk traffic stop. All three suspects were arrested. Officers found a handgun on the freeway where they had seen one of the suspects throw it from the vehicle….. http://www.instantriverside.com/riverside-ca-news/medical-marijuana-riverside/2010/03/30/Santa Rosa Police: Pot Dealers Robbed At Gunpoint CBS 5 Crime Watch /Mar 20, 2010 SANTA ROSA (BCN) ― Police arrested two men late Thursday on suspicion of robbing more than 5 pounds of marijuana at gunpoint in Spring Lake Park in east Santa Rosa. The two robbery victims went to the park around 8 p.m. to sell the marijuana to three men, Sgt. Steve Fraga said. While the marijuana buyers and sellers were examining the drugs near the trunk of the sellers' vehicle, a man approached and ordered the group 5 to the ground at gunpoint, Fraga said. The robber took three large bags of processed marijuana from the trunk of the vehicle to a waiting vehicle occupied by another male, Fraga said. The two robbery victims followed the suspects west on Montgomery Drive but lost the vehicle containing the two suspects in traffic, Fraga said…..They were booked in the Sonoma County jail for robbery, Fraga said. Police are investigating whether the three marijuana buyers are connected to the two robbers. http://cbs5.com/crime/santa.rosa.marijuana.2.1577453.html Three people nabbed robbing NoHo marijuana dispensary, police say Daily News Wire Services /03/24/2010 NORTH HOLLYWOOD — Three people were in custody this morning after what police said was a robbery of a marijuana dispensary in North Hollywood…..Police responded to a report of a robbery in progress while an ambulance crew responded to a reported assault, according to a camera crew at the scene. Around two hours after the initial calls, as many as seven people were handcuffed outside Smokers Stop, a store with smoking implements on display, On Scene reported from Vanowen and Vineland. One person was treated by an ambulance crew for a head injury, according to On Scene. Investigators were still at Vanowen and Vineland at 5 a.m., with three people in custody and described as suspects, the North Hollywood Station duty officer said. She said she did not know whether the suspects tried to take cash or marijuana or both. http://www.dailynews.com/breakingnews/ci_14747879 Walnut Creek man arrested in robbery of pot seller By Roman Gokhman /Contra Costa Times /01/29/2010 SANTA ROSA — Police arrested a Walnut Creek man Thursday on suspicion of robbing another man of three pounds of marijuana at gunpoint two days earlier…..The victim told investigators that he met four men to sell them the three pounds of high-grade marijuana for $11,000. One of the buyers then pulled out a pistol and took the drugs from the seller. The four men drove away in a sport utility vehicle with white rims. http://www.mercurynews.com/crime-courts/ci_14298006?nclick_check=1 L.A. dispensary employee robbed of cash, cannabis in Thousand Oaks Written on March 11, 2010 by Bud An employee of a Los Angeles cannabis club was robbed of a backpack containing some cash and a jar of marijuana Wednesday night as he returned to his home in Thousand Oaks, according to Ventura County authorities….. The cannabis club employee was walking to his home from his car after returning from work when an unknown man approached him, hit him in the shoulder with a baseball bat, took his backpack and ran off, said Capt. Mike De Los Santos of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department. The robbery victim, who is in his 20s, did not require medical attention, De Los Santos said. The assailant was described as a man about 19 or 20 years old wearing a hooded sweatshirt, said the captain. The robbery remained under investigation today, De Los Santos said. It was unclear if the crime was random or targeted. http://calpotnews.com/medical-marijuana/l-a-dispensary-employee-robbed-of-cash-cannabis-inthousand-oaks/Victim in Woodland Hills home-invasion robbery arrested for growing pot Robert J. Lopez /March 16, 2010 A man suspected of cultivating marijuana in his Woodland Hills home was arrested Tuesday after officers came to his aid when he had been beaten in a home-invasion robbery……Police found about 70 plants and a sophisticated lighting, ventilation and watering system, said Sgt. Cathy Riggs of the LAPD's Topanga station. The man was attacked about 9:15 p.m. Monday by at least two suspects who 6 stormed into the home in the 22600 block Mulholland Drive, the LAPD said. The attackers fled with an undisclosed amount of money. Officers who arrived at the home found the growing operation, LAPD Officer Karen Rayner said. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/03/victim-in-woodland-hills-homeinvasion-robber-arrestedfor-growing-pot.html Santa Ana Medical Marijuana Grower is Victim and Suspect By Matt Coker, Thursday, Mar. 11 2010 @2:46PM After responding to an armed robbery Friday, Irvine Police indicated the city may shut down the victimized business: a medical marijuana dispensary. After responding to a robbery in Santa Ana Monday in which the homeowner was beaten by two men, Orange County sheriff's deputies seized items from the victim: medical marijuana and cultivating equipment……The Sheriff's Department reportedly says the Santa Ana homeowner is now the subject of a narcotics investigation, even though he showed deputies a medical marijuana patient card and explained he was growing for his local local collective. Just after 1 a.m. Monday, he heard a side door opening in his home in the 18000 block of Romelle Avenue in unincorporated Santa Ana. Next thing he knew, two men were beating him with an unknown object. They took cultivated cannabis and several electronic items before fleeing. The resident drove himself to the hospital for treatment, then called deputies Amormino said. The resident then drove himself to a local hospital, where he was treated for head injuries. He called deputies to report the robbery after being released. He explained he grew medical marijuana for a collective and delivered the medicine to patients. While uniformed officers came to the home to investigate the robbery, narcotics officers began seizing the remaining plants and pieces of the sophisticated hydroponics growing system…… http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/a-clockwork-orange/medical-marijuana-grower-santa/Robbery Call Leads Police To Pot-growing Operation Mar 15, 2010 LOS ANGELES (AP) ― Los Angeles police say they discovered a marijuana-growing operation in a San Fernando Valley home after responding to a call of a home invasion robbery and beating. Officer Karen Rayner says a man was attacked Monday night by at least two suspects who stormed into the home on Mulholland Drive. Rayner says when officers arrived, they found a pot-growing operation and plants in several of the rooms. She says the attackers fled with an undisclosed amount of money. http://cbs5.com/wireapnewsca/Home.invasion.robbery.2.1564241.html Man arrested for growing pot after robbery Friday, March 12, 2010 GARDEN GROVE, Calif. (KABC) --A 62-year-old man was the victim of a violent home invasion in Garden Grove Wednesday. Officers said Dennis Chailland and two other victims were tied up and blindfolded by robbers inside a home on Magnolia Avenue. Chailland was also pistol whipped during the robbery. The suspects left the scene and are still on the loose. Police Lt. Jeff Nightengale says Chailland was arrested when responding officers found more than 60 marijuana plants growing on the property. He is now facing a series of felony charges. http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/orange_county&id=7328124 People sought in medical marijuana robbery By Rob Young /Appeal-Democrat February 05, 2010 Yuba County Sheriff Steve Durfor said Friday "several persons of interest" are being sought in a medical marijuana robbery in Olivehurst. A 21-year-old man reported Thursday afternoon that "a couple of armed strangers" came to his residence in the 2000 block of Plumas Arboga Road the previous night an undisclosed amount of pot and an undisclosed amount of cash from him and a friend, Durfor 7 said. The victims did not require medical attention, he said…..Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Melanie Oakes said detectives will consider whether the victims might have been selling marijuana. "What is a 'reasonable' amount of medical marijuana is an issue which is being actively debated at a variety of different levels in the judicial system, because it is somewhat subjective," Oakes said. http://www.appeal-democrat.com/articles/medical-91461-yuba-robbery.html Robbers invade indoor grow in Oakland; 1 hurt January 1, 2010 OAKLAND — A man with more than 100 marijuana plants in his home was attacked there by at least three break-in robbers this morning, police said. Around 2:30 a.m., the 32-year-old victim was alone at his home in the 3200 block of 13th Avenue when three to five suspects kicked in the door and began pistol-whipping him…..Police believe the suspects dragged the man around the house forcing him to show them where cash and processed marijuana were stored. The victim then was forced into a portable dog kennel and locked there. The man’s two dogs were not hurt; his roommate arrived home later and called police. Officers responding to the scene found more than 100 marijuana plants and equipment for a full indoor grow, Mosley told the Tribune. Police later found documentation for medical marijuana in the names of the victim and his roommate. http://calpotnews.com/cultivation/robbers-invade-indoor-grow-in-oakland-1-hurt/Violent crimes up in the county By Linda Williams/TWN Staff Writer /01/29/2010 EDITOR'S NOTE: This is Part 1 of a look at crimes, arrests, prosecutions and punishment in Mendocino County. A sharp increase in robberies and aggravated assaults in 2007 drove violent crime rates in Mendocino County to the highest level seen in the past decade, with 544 total violent crimes reported….. Most in the county law enforcement community attribute the rise to the increasing violence associated with the marijuana trade, and believe only a fraction of the actual violence is reported. The increase in violent crimes within the county bucks the declining trend within California and across the nation. "A lot has to do with the violent home invasion robberies associated with marijuana operations," says Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman. "I believe it is linked very directly to greed marijuana growers that have come into our county." While violent crimes in the county are up, reports of property crimes, thefts and larcenies have declined, causing the overall crime rate to decline slightly…… http://www.willitsnews.com/ci_14295394 2009 – Crime, loss, election, adaptation – January 7, 2010 By Kevin L. Hoover /Eye Editor /Wednesday, February 10, 2010 ARCATA – It wasn’t the best or worst of years. No overwhelming milestones were achieved, nor huge disasters suffered. But 2009 was newsy as usual in Arcata, and here’s some of what went down during the decade’s second-to-last year: • January 6 A backpack full of tens of thousands of dollars in cash abandoned at the Veterans Hall Thanksgiving Dinner goes unclaimed, probably because of what police says is evidence of drug connections. • March 4 Drug Task Force and Arcata Police take out grow house in Sunny Brae. • April 8 Three men are sought in connection with a Bayside Road armed invasion of a grow house, • April 15 Attempted McKinleyville home-invasion marijuana robbery results in gunshot wound. Suspects drop victim off at Mad River Community Hospital and flee. Hundreds gather for annual 4/20 marijuana celebration in Redwood Park. The next morning, Parks Department workers take out truckloads of trash. Heaps of butane cyclinders from a hashish-making project are also discovered left behind in the woods. 8 • June 3 Drug Task Force takes out Ariel Way grow house. • July 1 Drug Task Force seizes 275 plants and four pounds of marijuana at a Bayside house. • July 29 Drug Task Force and APD take out alleged cannabis grow and hashish factory on Charles Avenue. Seizures include 92 plants, 30 pounds of wet leaves, 22 pounds of ground-up marijuana and 13 pounds of hash. The raid is filmed by a production crew and is later featured in the A&E TV special Intervention: Pot City USA. • August 26: Longtime Arcata residents Mike and Theresa McLaren give up on grow house-infested Arcata and move to Oregon. • September 9 Police Log: Plaza police officer on bicycle patrol rolls up on two men and three pounds of hashish in Tavern Alley. Drug Task Force and APD take out multiple grow houses all around Arcata. • September 16 Arcata Police and DTF take out grow houses on Janes Road and Coombs Court. • October 7 APD and DTF take out grow house on Beverly Drive, confiscating marijuana, hashish, psilocybin, LSD and two handguns plus ammunition. • October 21 Intervention: Pot City USA debuts on A&E Network, with a network TV-style take on Arcata’s grow house problem. Reviews are mixed. • November 4 APD takes out grow house in Antoinette Court. • November 18 County officials study Arcata’s medical cannabis policies for possible adoption. • December 9 Drug Task Force takes out psychedelic pharmacy across from Pacific Union School. Along with two pit bulls, agents find 279 pot plants, 24 pounds of hanging plants, 2.5 pounds of bud, 80 doses of LSD, 6 vials of LSD, 400 grams of psilocybin mushrooms, two grams of cociane, three grams of DMT, a gram of ketamine and 250 grams of hash. December 16 DTF and APD raid two more Sunny Brae grow houses, seizing pot, guns. http://alterimpact.com/eye/?p=94 Men arrested for burglarizing medical marijuana dispensary Written by Elizabeth