CO-OWNER: MARIJUANA CLINIC STILL OPERATING

FERNDALE - Nine defendants charged in last month's medical marijuana
bust in Ferndale will face a pre-exam conference at 1 p.m. Monday,
Sept. 20, before Judge Joseph Longo, according to a spokeswoman in
43rd District Court in Ferndale. The exam set for last Thursday was adjourned.

The co-owners of a medical marijuana facility on Hilton Road were
among nine arraigned Aug. 27 in Hazel Park, the other jurisdiction of
43rd District Court, on felony charges, including allegations of
conspiracy and the illegal manufacture and delivery of marijuana. The
charges followed an Aug. 25 raid by deputies from the Oakland County
Sheriff's Office.

Ryan Richmond, a 33-year-old Royal Oak resident and co-owner of
Clinical Relief at 326 Hilton, said he didn't know he would be
charged until he arrived in court in support of the eight arrested
during the police raid.

Magistrate James Paterson charged Richmond with conspiracy to commit
the delivery/manufacture of marijuana, a felony punishable by up to
four years and/or a $30,000 fine, according to a court spokeswoman in
Ferndale, where the cases were filed after the arraignment.

"My charges were given to me five minutes before the actual
arraignments," Richmond said after being released on personal bond
following the Friday hearing.

The other eight defendants were among 15 arrested during several Aug.
25 raids conducted by the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, netting
hundreds of pounds of marijuana with a street value estimated at
$750,000, and several firearms, according to Sheriff Michael Bouchard.

Police also raided Everybody's Cafe in Waterford, individual homes in
Birmingham and Lake Orion and a warehouse in Macomb County, according
to Bouchard.

Clinical Relief, on the east side of Hilton, three blocks north of
Eight Mile, and the Waterford medical marijuana facility are
separately owned and operated, according to the sheriff's office.

Richmond said he sells venture capital and commercial real estate and
operates the medical marijuana facilities as a side job. Clinical
Relief remained open as of last week, he said.

"We never got a 'cease to exist' (notice)," he said. "We did nothing
wrong. I don't think you should deny needy patients because of a few agendas."

Ferndale police Lt. William Wilson said Clinical Relief is entitled
to continue operations during the trial, as long as it operates
"within the confines of the law." Wilson said the Ferndale police are
not part of the investigation into the allegations of illegal
delivery and manufacture of marijuana.

"As far as I know they're still (open)," Wilson said.

The raid was part of a weeks-long investigation at Clinical Relief
and Everybody's Cafe, on suspicion of the illegal manufacture,
possession and selling of large quantities of marijuana, according to Bouchard.

The Michigan Medical Marijuana Act became law after a statewide
ballot proposal was approved in November 2008 by more than 60 percent
of voters. It allows a medical marijuana caregiver to grow up to 12
plants or sell 2.5 ounces of marijuana to five patients who qualify
under the Michigan Department of Community Health.

A not-guilty plea was entered for each of the nine defendants at the
43rd District Court arraignments, according to the court spokeswoman.
Each was released on a $10,000 personal bond, the spokeswoman said.

Richmond's business partner, Matthew Curtis of Lake Orion, was
arrested during the Aug. 25 raid and charged with one count of
conspiracy to commit the delivery and manufacture of marijuana and
two counts of delivery and manufacture of marijuana, the court
spokeswoman said. A conviction on the delivery and manufacture
charges carries up to four years in prison and/or a $20,000 fine for
each count, according to the court spokeswoman.

The seven others charged include:

. Barbara Johnson of Leonard, one count of conspiracy to commit the
delivery/manufacture of marijuana; four counts of
delivery/manufacture of marijuana.

. Derek Anderson of Ferndale, one count of conspiracy to commit
delivery/manufacture of marijuana; one count of delivery/manufacture
of marijuana.

. Anthony Agro of Troy, one count of conspiracy to commit the
delivery/manufacture of marijuana; seven counts of
delivery/manufacture of marijuana.

. Angelina Veseli of Roseville, one count of conspiracy to commit
delivery/manufacture of marijuana; two counts of delivery/manufacture
of marijuana.

. Barbara Agro of Lake Orion, one count of conspiracy to commit
delivery/manufacture of marijuana; five counts of
delivery/manufacture of marijuana.

. Nicholas Agro of Lake Orion, conspiracy to commit the
delivery/manufacture of marijuana.

. Ryan Fleissner of Livonia, one count of conspiracy to commit the
delivery/manufacture of marijuana; two counts of delivery/manufacture
of marijuana.

Robert Bruner, city manager for Ferndale, said Thursday that the
city's intention is to enforce several amendments to a zoning
ordinance and a regulatory ordinance passed by the City Council at
its Aug. 23 public meeting. The City Council also voted to lift a
moratorium on medical marijuana-related businesses operating within
city limits at that meeting, Bruner said.

"The city has a law on the books to keep track of how much medical
marijuana is on site, who is allowed to have it," Bruner said.
"That's what the city is concentrating on enforcing. We're not
involved with the raid or prosecution that's going on. Unless a judge
should order a business shut, I don't know what authority the city
has to do so.

"(The defendants) are innocent until proven guilty as far as the
state law goes. The risk they're running is, if they've been raided
and charged once, and continue to operate (as its alleged), the
county sheriff could come in, raid and arrest them again. That's
between the Clinical Relief and the county sheriff and not something
the city is directly involved in."