Fredrick Wayne Dagit, 60, faces five drug-related counts, including delivery or manufacture of more than 45 kilograms of marijuana, according to a felony complaint filed today in 55th District Court. The maximum penalty for that charge is 15 years in prison.
The owner of the Green Leaf Smokers Club in Williamstown Township also is charged with two counts of delivery or manufacture of 5 to 45 kilograms of marijuana, a seven-year felony, as well as maintaining a drug house and possession of marijuana.
Maintaining a drug house is considered a high-court misdemeanor, punishable by up to two years in jail. Possession of marijuana is a one-year misdemeanor.
Dagit, who court documents say was convicted of burglary in Illinois in 1993, is also charged as a habitual offender.
Dagit was arrested Wednesday after the Tri-County Narcotics Squad raided the business.
An arraignment for Dagit had been expected to take place this afternoon in 55th District Court, but officials said "extenuating circumstances" mean that it likely will not happen. Officials would not elaborate on the circumstances. But officials at Ingham Regional Medical Center said Dagit is a patient there. They would not disclose his condition.
UPDATED 2 P.M. -- WILLIAMSTOWN TWP. -- The Green Leaf Smokers Club on Grand River Road remained locked and closed as of 10:30 a.m. today, nearly a day after a regional narcotics team raided the medical marijuana users' club and arrested its owner, Wayne Dagit.
But according to Jeffrey Foldie, an attorney for the owners of the building where the Green Leaf Smokers Club is located, officers did not confiscate the marijuana on the premises, which related to a medical marijuana business.
An arraignment for Dagit had been expected to take place this afternoon in 55th District Court, but officials said "extenuating circumstances" mean that it likely will not happen. The specific charges he faces were not immediately known.
State law allows registered caregivers to grow marijuana for up to five patients and to possess up to 12 plants and 2-1/2 ounces of usable marijuana per patient. Dagit told the Livingston Daily Press & Argus earlier this month that the club provided shared growing space for caregivers.
"All the marijuana that was on the property at that time fell within the statutory limits," said Foldie. He did not know whether Dagit was still in custody, and Dagit could not be reached this morning for comment.
Authorities have been mum about the reasons for the raid and whether anyone may face charges as a result. On Wednesday, Ingham County Prosecutor Stuart Dunnings III declined to discuss the matter because it is under investigation and could not be reached for further comment this morning. Officials at the Ingham County Jail reached today referred comment to Dunnings.
The business hours listed on the club's website are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
Witnesses say that members of the Tri-County Metro Narcotics Squad entered the club Wednesday afternoon, guns drawn, and searched the establishment.
"They treated us like criminals, forced us to the ground, even though I have to walk with a cane," said Terry Clark, 48, a registered medical marijuana user who said he suffers from arthritis, seizures and chronic pain.
He and the one other customer in the club eventually were asked to show their state-issued medical marijuana cards, which they did, Clark said. They were then allowed to leave.
Shortly before opening the club in February, Dagit told the State Journal that he wanted it to be a haven for medical marijuana users who wish to use the herb in a social setting. At the time, he said he intended that users would bring their own supply.
Dagit has maintained that the club complies with the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act, the ballot initiative that legalized medical marijuana in 2008.
But the legal status of marijuana-related businesses is still hazy. Several cities have discussed regulating marijuana dispensaries, Lansing among them. The city of Howell has proposed banning them outright.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: Lansing State Journal
Author: Scott Davis and Matthew Miller
Copyright: 2010 Lansing State Journal
The owner of the Green Leaf Smokers Club in Williamstown Township also is charged with two counts of delivery or manufacture of 5 to 45 kilograms of marijuana, a seven-year felony, as well as maintaining a drug house and possession of marijuana.
Maintaining a drug house is considered a high-court misdemeanor, punishable by up to two years in jail. Possession of marijuana is a one-year misdemeanor.
Dagit, who court documents say was convicted of burglary in Illinois in 1993, is also charged as a habitual offender.
Dagit was arrested Wednesday after the Tri-County Narcotics Squad raided the business.
An arraignment for Dagit had been expected to take place this afternoon in 55th District Court, but officials said "extenuating circumstances" mean that it likely will not happen. Officials would not elaborate on the circumstances. But officials at Ingham Regional Medical Center said Dagit is a patient there. They would not disclose his condition.
UPDATED 2 P.M. -- WILLIAMSTOWN TWP. -- The Green Leaf Smokers Club on Grand River Road remained locked and closed as of 10:30 a.m. today, nearly a day after a regional narcotics team raided the medical marijuana users' club and arrested its owner, Wayne Dagit.
But according to Jeffrey Foldie, an attorney for the owners of the building where the Green Leaf Smokers Club is located, officers did not confiscate the marijuana on the premises, which related to a medical marijuana business.
An arraignment for Dagit had been expected to take place this afternoon in 55th District Court, but officials said "extenuating circumstances" mean that it likely will not happen. The specific charges he faces were not immediately known.
State law allows registered caregivers to grow marijuana for up to five patients and to possess up to 12 plants and 2-1/2 ounces of usable marijuana per patient. Dagit told the Livingston Daily Press & Argus earlier this month that the club provided shared growing space for caregivers.
"All the marijuana that was on the property at that time fell within the statutory limits," said Foldie. He did not know whether Dagit was still in custody, and Dagit could not be reached this morning for comment.
Authorities have been mum about the reasons for the raid and whether anyone may face charges as a result. On Wednesday, Ingham County Prosecutor Stuart Dunnings III declined to discuss the matter because it is under investigation and could not be reached for further comment this morning. Officials at the Ingham County Jail reached today referred comment to Dunnings.
The business hours listed on the club's website are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
Witnesses say that members of the Tri-County Metro Narcotics Squad entered the club Wednesday afternoon, guns drawn, and searched the establishment.
"They treated us like criminals, forced us to the ground, even though I have to walk with a cane," said Terry Clark, 48, a registered medical marijuana user who said he suffers from arthritis, seizures and chronic pain.
He and the one other customer in the club eventually were asked to show their state-issued medical marijuana cards, which they did, Clark said. They were then allowed to leave.
Shortly before opening the club in February, Dagit told the State Journal that he wanted it to be a haven for medical marijuana users who wish to use the herb in a social setting. At the time, he said he intended that users would bring their own supply.
Dagit has maintained that the club complies with the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act, the ballot initiative that legalized medical marijuana in 2008.
But the legal status of marijuana-related businesses is still hazy. Several cities have discussed regulating marijuana dispensaries, Lansing among them. The city of Howell has proposed banning them outright.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: Lansing State Journal
Author: Scott Davis and Matthew Miller
Copyright: 2010 Lansing State Journal
