MEDICAL MARIJUANA ENTREPRENEUR JASON CHRIST ARRESTED FOR COURT ORDER
VIOLATION

Medical marijuana entrepreneur Jason Christ was arrested Wednesday for
allegedly traveling to Arizona in violation of a court order that he
stay within Montana while awaiting trial on intimidation charges.

Shortly before 5 p.m., Missoula police officers handcuffed Christ at
his Front Street offices and hustled him into a waiting patrol car as
an officer from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration stood by.
Police removed a pair of chopsticks from his jacket pocket before
putting him in the car.

His release on bond was revoked and he was taken to the Missoula
County Detention Facility, with a $50,000 bail requested.

It was the second time in four months that law enforcement has taken
action at Christ's offices. In November, authorities searched his
office on allegations that he kept hundreds of signed, blank doctors'
recommendations on hand, and altered checks for filing fees to the
state agency that keeps medical marijuana records, according to the
search warrant.

At a Missoula County Justice Court appearance in January on the
intimidation charges, Christ specifically sought permission to travel
within the state between Missoula, where he runs a business that
provides doctors' recommendations for people seeking medical marijuana
cards, and Helena, where he's a lobbyist on medical marijuana issues
before the Legislature.

Missoula County Justice of the Peace John Odlin granted that request
as a condition of Christ's release.

But on Feb. 22, Missoula International Airport public safety
supervisor Dave Kreis called Missoula Police Detective Sgt. Collin
Rose to report that Christ flew from Missoula to Mesa, Ariz., on
Allegiant Air, according to a motion from the Missoula County
Attorney's Office to revoke Christ's release.

Christ owns the Montana Caregivers Network - more recently called
CannabisCare - that gained notoriety by signing up hundreds of medical
marijuana patients in a single day at its traveling "cannabis
caravans" and via teleconferences with doctors. In November, the state
Board of Medical Examiners banned such video teleconferences.

Christ faces a felony intimidation charge in connection with an
alleged Aug. 18 bomb threat against the Verizon store on South Reserve
Street.

Christ allegedly called to complain about his service, according to
court papers filed in the case. The caller threatened "kick the
(expletive) out of your store and break things and knock over
computers and knock over stands and basically be a son of a bitch
because I can."

And the call, which was recorded, continued, "(Expletive) you,
(expletive) you, (expletive) you, (expletive) you, (expletive) you,
(expletive) you, (expletive) you, (expletive) you, you piece of
(expletive)."

Christ faces two counts of intimidation, a felony that carries a
penalty of 10 years in prison and a $50,000 fine, and a misdemeanor
charge of privacy in communications, punishable by six months in jail
and a $500 fine.

In addition to limiting his travel, Odlin in January ordered Christ
not to have any contact with the Verizon employees, and restrained him
from their offices.