By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD – Medical marijuana is legal in Arizona, but recreational use is still currently banned and continues to have a criminal element associated with it.
On Tuesday, Aug. 13, a man called police at about 7:10 p.m. after allegedly being assaulted by four men with handguns.
The victim told an officer that the men had shown up to his residence because they thought he had stolen an ounce of high-grade marijuana from them, which can be worth up to $400 in the current market prices.
He said one of the men asked him, “Where’s my bud?” and when he said he didn’t know what he was talking about the man punched him in his face.
A second man then took the victim’s cellphone as the first man informed that the victim “better have their bud or he is coming back to shoot up his house.”
The victim positively identified three of the men and a fourth was identified by the police as being the likely subject. The Gila Herald is not publishing the names of the suspects because they have yet to be arrested or charged with a crime in this matter.
The victim advised that he didn’t wish to pursue charges for assault but just wanted his cellphone back. He later told police that he had pinged his cellphone to be in the area of 16th Street and 10th Avenue. An officer responded to the area but was unable to locate the phone.
The officer then requested the victim meet him in the area and ping the phone again but the victim declined and decided he no longer wished to cooperate with the investigation.
