Man Tells Passer-By Cop About Dope

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[Rodney King]

Man Tells Passer-By Cop About Dope

A man who allegedly boasted to a passer-by while carrying a marijuana plant down the street ended up getting arrested by the man — a plainclothes police officer.

"Would you believe I'm walking down the street in the middle of the day with this pot plant," Daniel Fornash of Canton said as he walked down the street Thursday, according to police.

The passer-by responded, "Would you believe I'm a cop?"

Canton Detective Joe Mongold, who was returning from court, cited Fornash with misdemeanor charges of cultivation and possession of marijuana.

Authorities said Fornash told police the marijuana had been growing in the front yard of a vacant house, where he had been nurturing it, and that he decided to dig it up and take it home.

[Rodney King]

What an idiot. You'd think he'd at least put it in a hefty bag.

[jrherreid]

Moron alert.

[Tai_Chung]

When will this be on "America's Dumbest Criminals"?

[JmyBryan]

Phew! I feel so much safer.

[dighton]

Like dude, if you walk up to -- y'know, some dude on the street? -- and start telling him about .... what you're, like, holding .... the stranger-dude could be, like ........... you know.

[Illbay]

I want it made ABUNDANTLY clear that this is NOT more proof that pot makes you into an imbecile.

[Warren]

Hell, he was jailed for stupidity.

[Illbay]

"Dude, ya got anything to munch on?"

[Republicus2001]

yea, sometimes I wonder if we should just about let anyone grow anything they want in their personal garden - and consume the plants in whatever fashion the grower pleases...

if society feels that narcotics is something to be controlled, strictly and harshly enforce current laws like practicing pharmocology or medicine without a license or lack of a business license or income tax evasion to discourage street black market sales, ...

[general_re]

Canton Detective Joe Mongold, who was returning from court, cited Fornash...

[No Truce With Kings]

I grew up in Ann Arbor in the 1960 and '70s. (It turned me into a conservative!) At the time the city had a $5.00 fine for possession of mary jane. It was the equivalent of a parking ticket.

I told some friends from out of town about this when they were visiting. They thought it would be cool to get a ticket as a souvenir. So, when I wasn't around to serve as their keeper (as you are about to read, they NEEDED one) they stroll up to a local law enforcement officer, joint in hand, blow marijuana smoke in the cop's face and ask him if he could give them directions to Angell Hall.

Bad mistake.

First, no law enforcement officer likes getting dumped on that way, even the Ann Arbor cops.

Next, the LEO they chose to talk to was a county sheriff's deputy, NOT an Ann Arbor City Policeman. The sheriff at the time had instructed ALL of the county mounties to charge users under the state law, not the city law. And state law was a lot more than a $5.00 ticket.

So, these two bozos got a free ride to the county lockup, spent the night in the calaboose, and -- after a looong talk with a local lawyer -- were given the option of most humbly apologizing to the offended county mounty, or risking a year in Jackson. (The lawyer was a family friend, and had been a local prosecutor for a while. He was in tight with the cops, and they were willing to give these two a pass -- if they were sufficiently humble.)

Anyhow, their apology was considered acceptable, so the cops let them go with just a warning. Before they left, the deputy smiled at them and said: "Just remember, next time you punks -- you might beat the rap, but you won't beat the ride."

To this day, I am glad those two were staying with other friends of mine, not at my place.

[bassmaner]

Canton Detective Joe Mongold, who was returning from court, cited Fornash with misdemeanor charges of cultivation and possession of marijuana.

Authorities said Fornash told police the marijuana had been growing in the front yard of a vacant house, where he had been nurturing it, and that he decided to dig it up and take it home.

Oh, the humanity! Detective Mongold just saved civilization from this evil numbskull who was hell-bent on corrupting us all with the devil weed!

I'm sure all you Holy Drug Warriors reading this are having a good laugh at Fornash's expense. But seriously, other than not being the sharpest knife in the drawer, how has this poor sap hurt anyone? He picked a plant that was growing naturally in from of a vacant house! That's all he did!

Pot prohibition, not Fornash, is the real "moron" here.

[bassmaner]

bump

[alaskanfan]

From the title of the article, I thought it was another Gore sighting.

[Britton J Wingfield]

I'm not for criminalizing pot, but blowing any sort of smoke in someone's face is punishable by a serious beat-down.

[No Truce With Kings]

I'm not for criminalizing pot, but blowing any sort of smoke in someone's face is punishable by a serious beat-down.

I never did pot in High School because it was my way of being different. But most of my friends and relations did. Whenever anyone gave me a hard time for passing a joint on to the next guy without taking a drag, I would point out what those two did, and add "why do you think they call it dope?"

[steveo]

Reminds me of my younger days when I worked at a fast food place. Some party-girls used the drive up window 'bout lunch time. Seems it was moving day, as they had the car packed along with four pot plants about 35" high in the back seat. Stupid is...

[1rudeboy]

Aww . . . man . . . I was . . . uh . . . like walking down the street? And I . . . uh . . . had this pot plant? Then I narc'ed myself out to this dude! And he took the plant. . . bummer, man.

[KayEyeDoubleDee]

I want it made ABUNDANTLY clear that this is NOT more proof that pot makes you into an imbecile

It could be argued that taking a drug to alter your state of mind is pretty stupid. Fun maybe, but stupid.

[1rudeboy]

For all you youngsters out there, the penalty for possession in Ann Arbor is now $25, but make sure to be busted by an Ann Arbor cop, and not a campus cop, or Washtenaw County deputy.

Small wonder that the "townies" held "tourists" in such disdain.