Criminal Defense and Civil Forfeiture Blog
On July 27, 2016, Ryan Chappell was driving his father’s Jeep back home on the west side of Detroit, Michigan. On his way, he stopped off at a medical marijuana dispensary. “I had just got off work,” said Ryan, “and stopped at the store sharing the parking lot with the dispensary. Then I stopped in the dispensary. Went in and walked right back out. I asked them a quick question.”
Police pulled Ryan over after he left the parking lot. They seized the 1996 Grand Cherokee Ryan had been driving. “They didn’t even search me. They didn’t give me a reason why they were towing my car,” said Ryan. Frustrated by events, Ryan asked an officer how he would be able to go to work without the vehicle. The police response was “figure it out.”
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