Police raid nets $12K from 15 year old boy's room
September 6, 2002
He bragged to authorities he could move 21 pounds of marijuana a week.
It was an incredible boast for a 15-year-old boy.
But if the bedroom of the Commerce Township teen was any indication, he had the cash to back up his claim.
Besides the digital scale, detailed drug ledgers, plastic bags and 151 grams of marijuana police found when they raided his home in May, there was $1,500 in cash sitting on his dresser. There was also a live marijuana plant in the attic and a growing light for the plant.
But stuffed in a Nike shoe box that was hidden behind the dresser was the mother lode for any teen - another $12,300 in cash.
"It was all drug money," Farmington Hills police Chief William Dwyer said Thursday. "It was not money he saved up working a part-time job. That's a lot of money for someone that age to have."
The cash and drugs brought the one-time Walled Lake Western High School student a lifestyle change.
Oakland Probate Referee Joseph Racey ordered the teen, who had been attending Walled Lake Western High School, to change schools.
He now attends Crossroads for Youth, a school for troubled youths, in Oxford, six days a week. He spends one day a week at home.
And if prosecutors have their way, the home visits will be out. Assistant Prosecutor Robert Zivian said Thursday he plans to ask the court to send the boy to Children's Village while his case is pending. A hearing is set for Sept. 16.
"I am concerned, given the supervision of him by his parents when he was on probation, and given the allegation that he was running quite a substantial drug operation out of his parent's home," Zivian said.
"I'm concerned he is not properly supervised and should be incarcerated at Children's Village."
Dwyer described the case as bizarre.
"This is certainly a rarity and, obviously, I would be concerned about a 15-year-old dealing drugs at this level without his parents being aware of it," Dwyer said. "It seems somewhat suspicious. If you have a 15-year-old kid and thousands of dollars in cash out where we could see it, 'Hello, where are you?'"
The attorney for the boy could not be reached for comment Thursday.
The troubles for the teen, who is now 16, began when he was arrested May 30, 2001, while on the grounds of North Farmington High School. He was in eighth grade and a student at Walled Lake Middle School at the time.
The boy was seen in a teachers' parking lot and was asked to leave by a school official. But instead of leaving, the boy was "meeting and greeting" students as they left. The boy was arrested for trespassing, prosecutors said.
During a pat-down search, police found a small quantity of marijuana on the boy.
The boy appeared in juvenile court and was placed on the court's consent calendar, which allowed him to clear his name if he abided by certain conditions of probation.
He kept out of trouble for about a year until he tested positive for drugs. About the same time the referee ordered that he be placed in the Crossroads program.
But days before he appeared before the referee, the boy's house was raided by officers from SONIC - the South Oakland Narcotics Intelligence Consortium - after they received a tip about the boy.
For reasons that are not clear, the referee was not told during the June 4 hearing that a raid had taken place on May 31.
The boy was not charged with drug possession until August. Prosecutors also are attempting to forfeit the money that was confiscated.
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September 6, 2002
He bragged to authorities he could move 21 pounds of marijuana a week.
It was an incredible boast for a 15-year-old boy.
But if the bedroom of the Commerce Township teen was any indication, he had the cash to back up his claim.
Besides the digital scale, detailed drug ledgers, plastic bags and 151 grams of marijuana police found when they raided his home in May, there was $1,500 in cash sitting on his dresser. There was also a live marijuana plant in the attic and a growing light for the plant.
But stuffed in a Nike shoe box that was hidden behind the dresser was the mother lode for any teen - another $12,300 in cash.
"It was all drug money," Farmington Hills police Chief William Dwyer said Thursday. "It was not money he saved up working a part-time job. That's a lot of money for someone that age to have."
The cash and drugs brought the one-time Walled Lake Western High School student a lifestyle change.
Oakland Probate Referee Joseph Racey ordered the teen, who had been attending Walled Lake Western High School, to change schools.
He now attends Crossroads for Youth, a school for troubled youths, in Oxford, six days a week. He spends one day a week at home.
And if prosecutors have their way, the home visits will be out. Assistant Prosecutor Robert Zivian said Thursday he plans to ask the court to send the boy to Children's Village while his case is pending. A hearing is set for Sept. 16.
"I am concerned, given the supervision of him by his parents when he was on probation, and given the allegation that he was running quite a substantial drug operation out of his parent's home," Zivian said.
"I'm concerned he is not properly supervised and should be incarcerated at Children's Village."
Dwyer described the case as bizarre.
"This is certainly a rarity and, obviously, I would be concerned about a 15-year-old dealing drugs at this level without his parents being aware of it," Dwyer said. "It seems somewhat suspicious. If you have a 15-year-old kid and thousands of dollars in cash out where we could see it, 'Hello, where are you?'"
The attorney for the boy could not be reached for comment Thursday.
The troubles for the teen, who is now 16, began when he was arrested May 30, 2001, while on the grounds of North Farmington High School. He was in eighth grade and a student at Walled Lake Middle School at the time.
The boy was seen in a teachers' parking lot and was asked to leave by a school official. But instead of leaving, the boy was "meeting and greeting" students as they left. The boy was arrested for trespassing, prosecutors said.
During a pat-down search, police found a small quantity of marijuana on the boy.
The boy appeared in juvenile court and was placed on the court's consent calendar, which allowed him to clear his name if he abided by certain conditions of probation.
He kept out of trouble for about a year until he tested positive for drugs. About the same time the referee ordered that he be placed in the Crossroads program.
But days before he appeared before the referee, the boy's house was raided by officers from SONIC - the South Oakland Narcotics Intelligence Consortium - after they received a tip about the boy.
For reasons that are not clear, the referee was not told during the June 4 hearing that a raid had taken place on May 31.
The boy was not charged with drug possession until August. Prosecutors also are attempting to forfeit the money that was confiscated.
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