The lightning-rod co-owner of a Marina-based pot collective was arrested Friday in what he's describing as an apparent police raid on several of his grow locations.
Kevin Saunders, of the Coasterdam Cannabis Collective, posted word of the arrest Saturday morning on his Facebook page. He spent a day and night in jail before posting $60,000 bail this morning.
Chief Assistant District Attorney Terry Spitz writes in an email that Saunders faces three counts of violating Health & Safety Code section 11360(a), sale of marijuana. The arrest took place at 3156 Del Monte Blvd., near the Starbucks.
"I understand a fourth count might be added to the complaint for an incident occurring just before the arrest," Spitz writes. He did not elaborate on the nature of that incident. Since Saunders posted bail, it's likely his arraignment won't take place until after Jan. 1.
In describing the arrest, Saunders writes he was ordered out of his delivery car by force by 10 officers decked out in full gear. He says police ransacked his homes, seizing cell phones, patient records, medications, marijuana and hash oil and cash.
Saunders says the arrest came after a purported undercover sting on his busines in which two undercover officers with cards identifying them as medical marijuana patients under the Medical Marijuana Program Act of 2003 attempted to buy a pound of marijuana from him.
"I checked the ID of two undercover PIGS last month, last week and two days ago. They called asking me for a pound and I told them legally I could only sell them an ounce and transport a half pound," Saunders writes. "They denied me my heart medication and all of Marina P.D. were laughing when (I was) cuffed."
He says they "failed to get the motherlode," but later writes he is heartbroken because police seized proprietary strains he has spent years developing.
Saunders has become a controversial figure in Marina and on the Monterey Peninsula. Earlier this year, Marina Mayor Bruce Delgado unsuccessfully sought a restraining order against him after Saunders threatened on Facebook to punch Delgado's teeth in for not supporting a marijuana dispensary in Marina.
In September, Saunders, then a law student at Monterey College of Law, was suspended for sending a series of increasingly bombastic emails to a professor who purportedly gave Saunders' girlfriend, collective co-owner Nobia Monsauret, a bad grade. MCOL Dean Mitch Winick sought and won a restraining order against him, and that order was made permanent in October. Saunders was then expelled from the school.
At the last Marina City Council meeting, Saunders reportedly consumed cannabis oil in front of the council and Marina Police Chief Ed Rodriguez during the public comment period, prompting officials to turn off the microphone and escort Saunders from the building.
Saunders has announced his intention to run against Delgado in 2014 for the mayoral seat.
"I will parlay this into a mayoral win in Marina, mark my words," Saunders writes. "I will beat this myself. I'm a third-year law student and I am representing myself pro bono…HELLO ENTRAPMENT."
(26) comments
I saw this guy in court grandstanding. I had to find out for myself. He was showing off, making a spectacle of himself. Judge B. Is pretty nice. Any other Judge? Would have thrown him in jail, or sited him for contempt. He was talking and arguing , when told to be quiet. It reminded me of Ted Bundy's trial. " Any one that choses to represent themselves, has a fool for a Lawyer. " Quite a showman, but that was his purpose.
What does threatening a professor who gave your girlfriend a bad grade have to do with advocacy for medical marijuana?
I have a question for Mr. Saunders’ supporters (a group which, oddly, seems to include few people from the local community and none of his former fellow law students). Given that Mr. Saunders has acknowledged that he suffers from PTSD and bipolar disorder, which of these scenarios seems more plausible?
a) Mr. Saunders is the victim of a vast conspiracy involving students and faculty at Monterey College of Law, local criminal defense attorneys, and prominent local progressive activists (all of whom support medical marijuana), who colluded with local judges, the District Attorney, and the police to have him expelled from law school and arrested (for acts which he has publicly acknowledged having committed); or
b) Mr. Saunders’ troubles are the result of his untreated mental illness.
I went to high school with Kevin. He was a douche bag then and nothing has changed. We are all enjoying Karma rearing her pretty face towards him. He was irresponsible then as he is now. He was mean and never faced the consequences for his retched behavior. I'm sure his parents bailed him out as they always have in the past.
I have no difficulty believing that. It's sad when someone attempts to deflect all accountability by claiming to be politically persecuted as is so clearly the case here, but Mr. Saunders will learn soon enough, I suppose.
On his FB page, he recently claimed that the Police chief, the law school, and the courts were targeting him because.... "I was too close to the prize in their eyes. One year from being a them.a fucking lawyer.. And coasterdam.gave.or.gives.me.the.financial.clout. And then Mayor. Not a chance they would.let me.seize that chance, not with my politics".
The good news for the legal community is that there is no way he will ever pass the moral character investigation that goes along with admittance to the bar (even if he by some miracle managed to pass the Bar Exam, which is pretty darn doubtful, given what I know of his legal talents/expertise).
Dear Doc Red: I do know Saunders personally and have been the victim of his verbal abuse and defamation. Everything I've said is based on my personal experience and on Saunders' own written statements. He needs help, and not the kind you are providing.
He is not a violent man. He's not a danger to anyone. How many people spewing defamatory comments actually know him personally, he's got compassion for patients. He's loud, he's outspoken and yes he uses antics you may not agree with. But it's called passion standing up for something he believes in. Until any of you have fearlessly done so and actually net this man and get to know him, you shouldn't jump to judgemental ideals assuming everything you read is true. Most of it is slanderous lies. You may not agree with his approach, but I can tell you he's been helping patients who suffer. Just because you read it on the Internet doesn't make it true. Shame on people for judging others. How very disappointed I am in those who believe all these lies.
Fearlessly standing up for something you believe in is admirable. Making threats against those who fail to support, or even disagree with your position is contemptible, and goes far beyond what you generously refer to as "antics."
Had I never met this man and gotten to know him, I would not have posted anything on the subject, but I have. He's bad news for the medical marijuana movement. If he truly cared about his clients, he would have followed the law and remained in business. Now he claims "entrapment" and states that he is going to represent himself "pro bono" because he is a "third-year law student."
The guy is delusional. He is in fact no longer a law student, and even as he claims to be one, he throws around terms in ways that prove that he doesn't understand what he's even talking about.
I am in no way saying Kevin is a killer, but associating him with the condition of "affluenza" in the sense that from an early age, he was a bully and felt entitled. Just like now.
On the subject of Facebook, do you notice that almost none of Saunders' Facebook friends are his former fellow law students or other people from Monterey County? If he is such a courageous crusading activist who is being persecuted for his advocacy, why does he have almost no support in his own community? Where is the groundswell of support from the people of Marina for their future mayor?
Wow. Saunders has actually posted this article on his Facebook page for all his "friends" (people who applaud his self-destructive behavior but won't be going to jail with him) to see. Providing further evidence of his deluded state, he claims that the negative things said about him in the "comments" section are all the work of a PR firm hired by Monterey College of Law to discredit him.
Of course, he doesn't attempt to refute the negative things said about him here. He can't, because all the negative things are based on things Saunders himself has written in his emails.
Saunders has publicly admitted the following things in writing:
He sent people marijuana by mail, in violation of federal law.
He provided marijuana to people without the doctors' recommendations required by state law.
He provided marijuana to children.
He offered marijuana to people in exchange for them signing a petition to put the California Cannabis Hemp Initiative on the ballot.
In addition, he was expelled from law school because of dozens of threatening and obscene emails sent to staff and students, beginning with a threatening email to a professor in response to a bad grade the professor gave to Saunders' girlfriend.
I'd like to hear Saunders (or anyone else) explain how any of this advances the cause of medical marijuana.
Mr. Saunders has harassed and threatened faculty, staff, and fellow students at MCL. This is documented thanks to his persistent, extensive use of email. Those threats, which I experienced, included racist, homophobic, and misogynist insults amidst the obscenities. His pattern (all in the same email) of demanding action or support, slamming the addressee with vituperative put-downs, and winding his way to threats against the person and their family seems indicative of being unstable. His inability to recognize his behavior as violent reinforces this.
The result of his behavior has been profound for many on the receiving end. This is not just a few insults during a single incident. That would be jerkiness. This is a pattern of anger, threats, and promised violence that make it clear that Mr. Saunders considers violence acceptable, which is of course unacceptable.
Things are heading in the right direction when one looks at medical marijuana across the US. Being behind the curve locally is a shame, but progress will be and is being made. Using Kevin P Saunders as the face of medical marijuana will simply give those resisting its acceptance a powerful argument for why it can be dismissed. Let the legitimate, compelling stories of those helped by medical marijuana be the image, and move forward with the campaign.
Saunders has publicly admitted the following:
He mailed marijuana to people in other states in violation of federal law.
He provided marijuana to people without the doctors' recommendations required by state law.
He provided marijuana to children.
He offered marijuana to people in exchange for them signing a petition to put the California Cannabis Hemp Initiative on the ballot.
In addition, he was expelled from law school because of dozens of threatening and obscene emails sent to staff and students, beginning with a threatening email to a professor in response to a bad grade the professor gave to Saunders' girlfriend.
I'd like to hear Saunders (or anyone else) explain how any of this advances the cause of medical marijuana.
Goodwyn and Citizen are both correct. Note how very, very, vanishingly few stories there are about medical (or recreational, for that matter) cannabis users getting arrested in Monterey/Seaside/Marina.
Saunders has arrogantly, loudly, and repeatedly announced to the world that he has no intention of following the medical marijuana laws anywhere close to the letter. He has been thrown out of City Council meetings for being disruptive and threatening, and for allegedly using cannabis products in the Council chambers.
He has sent numerous threatening e-mails to faculty, staff, and his former classmates at MCL, with threats ranging from sinister veiled threats against wives and children, to public disclosure of the names of his "clients," right up to threats of outright violence.
His arrest is due neither to his political aspirations, nor to his "advocacy" of medical cannabis. It is rather the result of the sum of his behavior, which is at best chaotic, and at worst dangerous.
>>>"His arrest is due neither to his political aspirations, nor to his "advocacy" of medical cannabis. It is rather the result of the sum of his behavior,"
Of course it's not. There are millions of jerks in this world. Many of them are simply "perceived" jerks. Perhaps someone perceives YOU as a jerk. Does that mean all jerks should be jailed? There might be very few left outside if so.
>>>"vanishingly few stories there are about medical (or recreational, for that matter) cannabis users getting arrested in Monterey/Seaside/Marina."
That's not what I was referring to with Monterey County's oppression of marijuana consumers. I was talking about this county fighting the existence of marijuana dispensaries.
There is no reason for it, other than bigotry and some businesses who think it will be competition or in some other way hurt their income streams.
I think most of us have our moments of jerkhood. I know darn well that I do.
When it goes beyond that into obliquely or even overtly threatening people who don't jump to your tune, though, and threatening their families as well, it has gone too far.
As far as the MJ issue goes, I think that people who don't follow even the flawed law we have do the movement more harm than good. If a shop sells alcohol or tobacco to 16 year olds, they get shut down. If MMJ purveyors don't document the status of every patient, they may get shut down.
Saunders set himself up, then shot himself in the foot, and collaterally harmed his clientele in the process.
From the story:
>>>"Saunders faces three counts of violating Health & Safety Code section 11360(a), sale of marijuana. "
This is what the story is about. If it weren't for the counter-productive fraud of marijuana prohibition, there would be no story. It would just be another possible schizophrenic person among many to deal with.
Citizen Cane is correct. This is not a story about medical marijuana. It's a story about mental illness. The people who are encouraging Saunders are doing him (and the cause of medical marijuana) a disservice.
@JohnThomas - you are right on point regarding the status of the current California law. A policy manifesto was voted onto the statute books by well intentioned, but statutorily illiterate legislators. However, that doesn't change the current situation that will unfortunately bring out that emotionally disturbed paranoia and poor anger management is not to be mistaken for issue advocacy. Anyone who has had the unfortunate experience of crossing paths with Saunders in private, public, or in court has quickly realized his issues are not about mmj, but with personal instability that has led to allegedly criminal behavior. The barriers to mmj regulation and decriminalization are wack-a-doodles like Saunders being the supposed "advocates", not the underlying issues. In this case it is the criminal, not the crime that is the story.
@Goodwyn Barnby - If it is true Saunders violated serious laws - more than the average dispensary - then he should go to jail.
The problem is, the counter-productive marijuana prohibition has stirred all the laws together - the fraudulent ones, and those honestly attempting to create a well-regulated industry.
How can we tell if he violated the good laws or the bad laws in such a chaotic state?
What needs to be on trial is the freedom-strangling war on marijuana consumers, and when it is found guilty, execution is definitely in order.
Once we take care of that, sticky situations like this one will be MUCH simpler.
I'd still like to hear Saunders' side of the story - and why Monterey County has such an obsession with continuing the persecution of good Americans who prefer near harmless marijuana, over addictive, very harmful alcohol.
There are several different issues here.
Monterey College of Law did not expel Saunders and get a 3-year restraining order against him because he was “obnoxious” or “bombastic.” MCL did it because Saunders had sent dozens of expletive-laden threatening emails to faculty and students at MCL. Saunders had a hearing in front of a judge and the judge found clear and convincing evidence that Saunders had engaged in harassment.
Since the restraining order was imposed, Saunders has violated it repeatedly by sending more harassing emails. These emails have caused the recipients to fear for their safety. This is a separate issue from the marijuana charges.
Saunders was not arrested for sending emails nor was he arrested for simply operating a medical marijuana dispensary. He was arrested for failing to follow the laws regulating the operation of dispensaries. Since Saunders has announced publicly on a number of occasions that he is deliberately and consciously violating those laws, he will need a spectacularly adept attorney to defend him against these charges. (Among other things, Saunders’ has threatened on several occasions to reveal to the press the names of people who have purchased marijuana from him. This breach of patient confidentiality is a violation of the law.)
He has been daring the police to arrest him for the past year. They finally obliged him. The police allegedly have his cell phone. That means they will be able to view all of his text messages, even the ones he thinks he deleted. One can only imagine the amount of incriminating information they will find. And one can only imagine how much deeper a hole Saunders will dig for himself while he is out on bail pending his arraignment.
Regardless of whether one thinks the outcome is just, the outcome is fairly certain. Saunders will be going to jail. Once he gets out of jail, he will be a convicted felon. This is something that can diminish his prospects for the rest of his life. Going to law school or legally operating a medical marijuana dispensary are both probably out of the question.
The common thread (and one that is missing from this article) is Saunders’ mental illness. Saunders seems to sincerely believe that all of his problems are the result of some massive conspiracy to thwart his political ambitions and squash his advocacy for medical marijuana. Of course, this conspiracy exists only within Saunders’ troubled mind.
Saunders has been saying for a long time that he is going to sue Monterey College of Law. To date, he has not retained counsel, he has not filed a suit, and he has not articulated any basis for a lawsuit which any court would take seriously.
Saunders maintains that the judge who signed the search warrant in the marijuana case did something wrong because he is the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the law school from which Saunders was expelled. This would make sense if there was any substance to Saunders’ conspiracy theories. So far, no facts have been made public which would lead a reasonable person to believe that the judge was incapable of making an unbiased decision as to whether there was probable cause for a search. In fact, Saunders’ own public statements would seem to supply sufficient justification for a search warrant.
In short, Saunders is no heroic martyr for the cause of medical marijuana. He is a profoundly troubled person who needs psychiatric treatment.
@Citizen Kane - Perhaps it is as you say. I don't know the person. But the article states he was arrested for his medical marijuana operation.
It would be nice to hear both sides of the story.
@JohnThomas. If you were one of the dozens of individuals that Saunders has attacked with vulgar threatening harassment, including former "patients" of his supposed medical marijuana club, you would welcome the protection of the criminal justice system. Saunders is a victim of his mental health, not the law. Maybe he can get the treatment he won't seek voluntarily as part of a court-ordered plan. Otherwise, for the protection of our community, he needs to be out of the mmj business and off the streets.
Saunders may be guilty of some obnoxious behavior, but I don't see where anyone was harmed by it.
We need to ask ourselves, "Why was this person arrested and jailed?"
Medical marijuana is legal in California, and we came very close to re-legalizing marijuana for ALL adults in 2010. We will likely accomplish that in 2014, or by the latest, 2016.
What's going on with all this regressive oppression against marijuana consumers in Monterey County, anyway?
A human who threatens and terrorize women wouldn't get my vote for mayor I can tell you that. Three years of law school huh? Wow impressive. Not. Thats like hunting, getting a buck, skinning it......and then letting it rot. A waste and nothing to be proud of for not completing and failing merely because he's a nutcase. Please someone lock him up, anywhere.
Mr. Saunders must have been a poor student prior to expulsion from law school. He says he is representing himself “pro bono,” which means he is working without compensation. Of course, he could not charge himself for his legal services. (And, since he is not now and never will be an attorney, he could not charge anyone else for his legal services.) As for entrapment, that defense is not available if a police officer merely created an opportunity for the commission of the crime by a person already planning or willing to commit it. Saunders has openly boasted that he regularly violates state and federal laws by (among other things) selling marijuana to people without 215 cards, providing marijuana to minors, and shipping marijuana to other states. Saunders has also threatened repeatedly to punish his perceived enemies by announcing publicly that they have purchased marijuana from him. Under California law, it is a crime to breach the confidentiality of medical marijuana patients.
Students, faculty and administrators at Monterey College of Law were subjected to a stream of threatening, obscenity-laced e-mails from Saunders. These e-mails led several people to have legitimate concerns for their safety and led to Saunders being expelled from law school and to a restraining order prohibiting him from being on campus for the next three years. Saunders has continued to send harassing e-mails, in violation of the restraining order.
Saunders’ grip on reality can be described charitably as “tenuous.” In the fantasy world described in his e-mails and Facebook postings, Saunders is the victim of a conspiracy intended to thwart Saunders’ political ambitions, despite the fact that he is no more likely to become the next Mayor of Marina than he is to become the next Queen of Norway.
Virtually nothing Saunders says on any subject ever turns out to be true. He has publicly alleged that MLC and Dean Winick have engaged in a variety of unethical behaviors, but has yet to reveal a shred of evidence in support of his wild allegations. His actions have opened him up to multiple lawsuits for defamation as well as the criminal charges he now faces.
He claimed to have retained one of the largest law firms in the country, and yet he showed up at his court hearing unrepresented by legal counsel. He claimed that the Board of Trustees of the law school was deeply divided over his suspension and expulsion, with half of the members seeking to fire Dean Winick and reinstate Saunders. Of course, this is not true. He rails on about his pending $4.2 million lawsuit against the law school, without once articulating any cause he has for legal action.
Saunders will never be admitted to another law school and he will never practice law. He will never be elected Mayor of Marina or any other public office. He has discredited the cause of medical marijuana and made a laughingstock of himself with his deranged antics. In all likelihood, he will be spending a substantial period of time in Monterey County jail in the near future.
It is unfortunate that whatever friends and family Saunders has left have not persuaded Saunders to get the professional help he needs.
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