Bay County Man Pleads No Contest In Illegal Medical Marijuana Grow Operation

[bobandtorey]

BAY CITY, MI — A 41-year-old Bangor Township man police say misused a medical marijuana grow operation to illegally sell the drug has accepted a plea deal.

Steven M. Sanderson on Tuesday, April 12, appeared before Bay County Circuit Judge Joseph K. Sheeran and pleaded no contest to one count of possessing marijuana with intent to deliver. The charge is a four-year felony.

In exchange for his pleas, the prosecution agreed to dismiss one count of delivering or manufacturing between 5 and 45 kilograms of marijuana and possession of marijuana. The prosecution also agreed not to seek an enhanced sentence and to recommend Sanderson not initially serve any time behind bars.

By pleading no contest, Sanderson did not verbally admit to having committed any crime. Sheeran treated Sanderson as guilty when he proceeded to sentence him to a $500 fine. 

Sanderson also agreed to give up any claim to more than $2,000 in cash and a2009 Jeep Wrangler seized by police.

Sanderson's trial was to begin the day he pleaded.

The police investigation that resulted in Sanderson's charges began more than a year ago, when on Feb. 9, 2015, a Bay County sheriff's deputy searched two garbage cans outside Sanderson's home in the 100 block of Lagoon Beach Drive in Bangor Township. The deputy received 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 were 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 Jeep, purchased a month beforehand with $13,000 in cash, court records show.

 

http://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/index.ssf/2016/04/bay_county_man_pleads_no_conte_2.html

 

I went to this case

[t-pain]

Bay County sheriff's deputy searched two garbage cans

[GregS]

There has to be more to this than what the media is reporting. Sanderson's claim that his sec. 8 motion was granted cannot possibly be right. If that had happened, would not the case have been dismissed? Why would he take a plea that carries a four year sentence if he was compliant with the law? Could it be that he was selling to people not authorized to use it, i.e., anyone to include non-patients? He claimed that the case was going to a jury. That would mean that there were matters of fact to be determined. Are there these or other facts that would have led to more harsh sentencing? I have to expect that there are.

[t-pain]

sec8 granted means he could present it to a jury. because "questions of fact remained".

 

sec8 is now double-3 prong now, because of tut/wick ruling. 3x prima facie, then 3x preponderance for the full dismissal if no questions of fact remain. if questions of fact remain , it goes to jury.

 

$500 fine and no jail ? pretty good plea deal

[GregS]

sec8 granted means he could present it to a jury. because "questions of fact remained".

 

sec8 is now double-3 prong now, because of tut/wick ruling. 3x prima facie, then 3x preponderance for the full dismissal if no questions of fact remain. if questions of fact remain , it goes to jury.

 

$500 fine and no jail ? pretty good plea deal

And gave up $2500 in cash and a brand spankin' new Jeep.

[t-pain]

thats all they wanted, money.

[bobandtorey]

Mr.T-pain has it right 

 

[bobandtorey]

There has to be more to this than what the media is reporting. Sanderson's claim that his sec. 8 motion was granted cannot possibly be right. If that had happened, would not the case have been dismissed? Why would he take a plea that carries a four year sentence if he was compliant with the law? Could it be that he was selling to people not authorized to use it, i.e., anyone to include non-patients? He claimed that the case was going to a jury. That would mean that there were matters of fact to be determined. Are there these or other facts that would have led to more harsh sentencing? I have to expect that there are.

 

 

i was their just after because he told me he was going to a jury trial i knew if it did it may have taken two days it started at 8;30 so i got their about 9;30 10;00  he was going to be the first person to have a jury trial that could say  the words medical marihuana  ( To the Jury ) and that part i'm trying to watch for so i drove to BayCity only to find out he took a plea 

 

End of story and Gas for the car 

 

PS They can't let people start having jury trials it will clog up the System or would stop the grease flowing to the gear i guess