Warren

Pot grower says he was robbed, assaulted

By Brian Louwers
C & G Staff Writer

WARREN — A man growing marijuana, allegedly for medicinal purposes, told police he was robbed of $2,000 and several ounces of weed after two men entered a south Warren home and assaulted him Nov. 11.

According to police reports, officers responded to a home invasion call in the 8000 block of Cadillac, south of Nine Mile and east of Van Dyke, at about 7 p.m. Responding officers said they saw a trail of blood inside the home and made entry after unsuccessfully attempting to contact someone inside.

After entering the home, officers were reportedly met by a 27-year-old woman who said two black men in their early 20s — one who was about 6 feet tall and 180 pounds and another who was about 5 feet 11 inches tall and 170 pounds — entered the home and demanded cash and marijuana.

The suspects, armed with a handgun and a Taser, allegedly forced the woman into the basement. That’s where they found the grower, a 36-year-old Warren man who does not reside at the address, and a neighbor reportedly tending to marijuana plants. They said the suspects demanded cash and dope, and that one of the men struck the grower in the head with the handgun. The suspects then fled the home on foot toward nearby Van Dyke.

The grower reportedly left before police arrived, in order to seek treatment for an injury sustained in the assault.

Police responding to the scene found more than 70 marijuana plants in the basement, along with containers holding harvested marijuana buds.

Paperwork posted nearby reportedly identified the grower as a medical marijuana caregiver and listed three patients other than him.

Warren Police Commissioner Jere Green said the situation was an example of the negative “secondary effects” of medical marijuana growing operations that often exist in close proximity to neighborhood homes.

“Call it whatever you want to call it, if they’re cultivating and growing, harvesting and manufacturing marijuana,” Green said. “Where there’s marijuana, there’s going to be money; where there’s money and marijuana, there’s going to be guns; and where there’s money, marijuana and guns, there’s going to be bad guys.

“When bad guys know there’s money and marijuana in a house, it’s going to be a target,” Green said.

The matter remained under investigation, and police had no suspects at press time.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Brian Louwers at brianlouwers@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1089.