Genoa couple reaches plea deal in medical marijuana case
There will be no jail time or criminal record for a Genoa Township couple charged in the seizure of medical marijuana from their home.
65-year-old Dewey Edward Thomas and his wife, Pamela, had been charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to manufacture or deliver after police found more than 70 pot plants growing on their farm in Genoa Township in August of 2011. Thomas has insisted that neither he nor his wife broke the law, noting that he is a certified caregiver for her and that she is a certified medical marijuana patient with a debilitating condition.
Prosecutors had contended that the couple had more plants than allowed under the law. But following ongoing legal proceedings, an agreement was reached that they would plead no-contest to a lesser charge of marijuana possession. In exchange, they were sentenced to non-reporting probation which will keep their convictions out of the public record.
The plea deal follows a previous decision by Circuit Court Judge Michael Hatty that denied a motion by prosecutors to prevent the couple from presenting a Medical Marijuana defense to a jury. The couple’s attorney, Michael Komorn, said the deal indicates all sides understood the couple was legitimately using marijuana for medicinal purposes.