Suspect charged in break-in at cannabis store
A Detroit man is charged with larceny and breaking into a marijuana shop in Ferndale as police try to catch up with his accomplice.
Ferndale police got an alarm from the STIIIZY cannabis dispensary at 4:42 a.m. Friday at 642 E. Nine Mile Road west of Hilton Road.
The break-in is similar to thefts at other weed shops in the metro Detroit area and across the state since at least last year, from Detroit and some communities in Macomb County, to Southfield and Hazel Park. Some groups of teens and young men have taken part in multiple break-ins. Police in Ferndale say they are still investigating their case, which doesn’t appear to be connected with any other marijuana burglaries thus far.
At STIIIZY in Ferndale, police said the suspect was with the driver of a stolen SUV, which was backed up and rammed through the glass entry doors of the store hop.
When Ferndale police showed up, the driver of the SUV fled and police said suspect Stevonte Gilbert-Davis, 24, of Detroit ran away, but didn’t get far before he was arrested.
“We located him about a block away in a residential neighborhood,” said Ferndale police Sgt. Janessa Danielson.
Gilbert-Davis was arraigned Saturday by Ferndale 43rd District Magistrate J. Patrick Brennan on counts of breaking and entering with intent, a 10year felony, and larceny in a building, a four-year felony.
The suspect remains in the Oakland County Jail on a $200,000 cash bond. His bond conditions prohibit him from possessing any dangerous weapons or having any contact with STIIIZY or its employees.
Danielson said the SUV used in the break-in was reported stolen in Detroit a couple days earlier.
An undisclosed amount of cash was stolen.
Gilbert-Davis is to return to Ferndale court for hearing at 1 p.m. Dec. 11.
In neighboring Hazel Park, Police Chief Brian Buchholz said a marijuana facility there, Tip Top Crop, 22817 Dequindre, was targeted by thieves back in July.
“The suspects used a stolen Kia Sorento back into the (facility’s) rollup garage door,” Buchholz. “We arrived when the suspects were still there, a chase ensued and we lost the suspects in Detroit.” No arrests were made. Marijuana facilities typically tend to have a lot of cash on hand. While cannabis is legal in Michigan and many other states, it is still outlawed under federal law. That makes it hard for cannabis businesses to work with most banks, leaving them with inordinate amounts of cash on hand.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel back in March noted in a statement that 12 warrants were issued for suspects believed to be connected to break-ins at 20 cannabis retailers statewide last year.
Nessel in a statement at the time called on Congress to pass the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act. She said without access to traditional banking the cannabis industry is a “ripe target for criminals.”
She said that any legal business should have “fair access to our banking institutions for the security of their own business and employees as well as public safety.”