David Low, right, sits with his attorney Don Blair as he is sentenced in connection with Hub City Natural Medicine
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – The first of four people arrested after police raided what they said was a marijuana dispensary in downtown Centralia was sentenced yesterday to two days in jail.
With two days credit for time served, essentially no time, Lewis County Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher told a judge yesterday afternoon.
Hub City Natural Medicine opened with a city-granted business license on South Tower Avenue in early 2011. It was shut down in late April of that year after police realized what “education and sales of natural medicine” meant and said they twice caught a worker selling marijuana there.
At the time, some cities in Washington, such as Tacoma, allowed dispensaries of medical marijuana to operate, where, in theory, patients with authorizations make donations to obtain cannabis.
“In five years, maybe what Mr. Low was doing would be legal,” Meagher told the court. “It wasn’t then, and it isn’t now.”
Meagher and defense attorney Don Blair reached a plea agreement in the case of 38-year-old David Low, of Centralia.
Low and two other individuals alleged to be the owners were charged with maintaining a premises for using controlled substances.
He pleaded guilty yesterday in Lewis County Superior Court, with a so-called Alford plea, to attempting to maintain a premises for using controlled substances.
“I think everybody agrees the laws are kind of in flux,” Blair told the judge. “I’m confident at least within five years, all of this will be legal.”
Judge Nelson Hunt was told Low was attempting to start an educational business to teach people to grow marijuana and both sides agreed he never gave any to anyone.
Low, who is also known as the “Dirty Cop Enforcer”, maintains a web site where he berates what he sees as injustices committed by public officials, and in particular police officers.
He said he started the crusade after a traffic stop in late 2011 and what he says was the wrongful turning off of his video camera by a Centralia officer.
Low told the judge he thought his case grew out of a misunderstanding of his role and a “lot of stereotyping.”
“I never intended to commit a crime there,” Low told Judge Hunt. “I have to take responsibility.”
Hunt accepted the plea and sentencing recommendation and told Low he was free to leave, after providing a DNA sample to jail staff.
The crime is an unranked felony, meaning it has a sentence of up to 365 days, according to Meagher.
Still awaiting trials are Lauri Spangler, 47, and Colby Cave, 35, of Curtis. They remain charged with maintaining a premises for using controlled substances. A charge of possession of a stolen ATV that grew out of a search of their property has been dropped, Meagher said.
Daniel J. Mack, 41, who was arrested during the April 20, 2011 raid of Hub City Natural Medicine for delivery and possession of marijuana, pleaded guilty in June. He has yet to be sentenced, according to Meagher.
Mack was persuaded to testify against the others, Meagher said.
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For background, read “Centralia police seize computers, products at medical marijuana business” from Thursday April 21, 2011, here
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
It’ bad these guys were made into criminals and now marijuana is being sold everywhere. Lewis county really needs a good pot shop in town.
CHEHALIS – The first of four people arrested after police raided what they said was a marijuana dispensary in downtown Centralia was sentenced yesterday to two days in jail.
More lies from the legal Department, I was never in jail more than a few hours, the Courts even falsify paper work to make their case look better.
Time for all these republican law enforcers and office holders to get off their high horses……….Maryjane is here to stay. If you don’t like it TOO BAD! You are a BIG MAJORITY in a VERY LITTLE FISH POND! Stagnent pond about ready to eat your lame azzes!
Hey DCE, the kind of fraud the CPD engaged in to ensare you is punishable by up to 4-6 years in prison.
Hey CPD, it’s a serious crime to falsify a prescription, regardess of your “noble intentions” for doing so.
Hey DCE, do me a favor and contact the attorney general’s office and file a formal report.
Those cops who falsified medical prescription and then trespassed on private property deserve to be in jail, not patrolling the streets.
Where is my Interrogation Video Centralia Police Department? On October 25th I was Taken in to Custody during this traffic Stop.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuJMacWr5XY I told the officer to not shut off my video camera and that it takes a warrant. Then I was taken ito custody and was told that drugs would be planted on me if I didn’t Cooperate. Here is the proof that the Interrogation video is no longer avaliable to me or the Public. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4pY9ersS_c Now if this happened to you would you take it to Trial? I want everyone to know that during this Interrogation I was told to take down my web site. If this Interrogation video would of been avaliable to me, I could of went to trial. Instead the Centralia Police Intentionaly spoiled the evidence. Welcome to Centralia where free speech can cost you your freedom.
On this point, I have no beef with you dce. But give it time and do it legally. People knowingly breaking the law should get what come to them, but for now it’s illegal to facilitate to sale of weed. I realize you may not have sold weed, so chill out. I’m not accusing you. Give it 5 years. Advice: quit riding the liberal/republican fence. I’m GOP, I support your advocacy for legalizing, although I don’t use, but I support our police as well. ( the honest ones)
btw do you have good attorney? If not contact NORML they might help with a defense.
so whens the next dispensary opening?
Well good to hear that you only got time served on the judges part. Do you think he thought a head and did not want be on your web site as a dirty judge or maybe a new web site called Dirty Judge Should Register. Just saying….
I learn something new everyday, Looks like we really are growing as a community.
A strong verb for harshly cutting someone down with words is berate. “He didn’t just correct the cashier who gave him the wrong change, he started to berate her, calling her names in front of the whole store.”
When you berate someone it is more than just raising your voice at them; it implies putting them down by insulting their character. Berate comes from the 16th-century English and French for “to scold” or “to blame.” Often the anger behind the scolding seems over-the-top, as in “When the young man behind the counter dropped the scoop of vanilla, the manager berated him excessively by declaring him worthless and weak.”
DEFINITIONS OF:
berate
1v censure severely or angrily
Synonyms: bawl out, call down, call on the carpet, chew out, chew up, chide, dress down, have words, jaw, lambast, lambaste, lecture, rag, rebuke, remonstrate, reprimand, reproof, scold, take to task, trounce
Types: castigate, chasten, chastise, correct, objurgate
censure severely
brush down, tell off
reprimand
flame
criticize harshly, usually via an electronic medium
Type of: criticise, criticize, knock, pick apart
find fault with; express criticism of; point out real or perceived flaws
OLJ the police made Fake Medical Marijuana Cards and violated the lw while doing it.
Let’s get this straight I never sold Marijuana. Training people to grow medical marijuana is not a crime. The problem was 8 dirty police officers were prepared to lie against me. Donald Mack had his sentence reduced from 46 years to 3 months in his exchange for testimony against me. Like I said I never sold marijuana from there. It is funny that Marijuana is being sold less than 10 miles from the Lewis County Court House in Thurston County. If you need to Buy Marijuana Please go to http://legalmarijuanadispensary.com/ The State of Washington has legalized Marijuana, yet I needed to be made an Example of because I have exposed the Cops for what they really are.
Also I want the community to know that the police Lost my Interrogation video that I could of used for court. I was told to take down my web site, Detective Shannon Claimed it was causing problems for the City Officials.
Let’s get this straight I never sold Marijuana. Training people to grow medical marijuana is not a crime. The problem was 8 dirty police officers were prepared to lie against me. Donald Mack had his sentence reduced from 46 years to 3 months in his exchange for testimony against me. Like I said I never sold marijuana from there. It is funny that Marijuana is being sold less than 10 miles from the Lewis County Court House in Thurston County. If you need to Buy Marijuana Please go to http://legalmarijuanadispensary.com/ The State of Washington has legalized Marijuana, yet I needed to be made an Example of because I have exposed the Cops for what they really are.
Also I want the community to know that the police Lost my Interrogation video that I could of used for court. I was told to take down my web site, Detective Shannon Claimed it was causing problems for the City Officials. You be the Judge Centralia, just click on my name.
And before anyone tries beating the dead-horse argument of “it’s still illegal federally”, please keep in mind that THE Federal Government has been growing and supplying patients with cannabis for many years not. In addition, THE federal government also own patents on certain cannabinoids that it ACKNOWLEDGES is “medicinally benificial”.
“they twice caught a worker selling marijuana there”
First of all, how did the police gain entrance without valid doctor authorizations to patronize an MMJ clinic? Since when did it become legal for police officers to be legal MMJ patients?
And secondly, if they weren’t patients, then did they have a warrant?
Sounds like a TON of wasted time and resources on the part of the CPD and the incompetent kangaroo court system.
I still support the DCE. He doesn’t “Berate” them, he exposes them for the corrupt people that they are.