In downtown Bay City, a Mercedes-Benz with Wisconsin plates sat idling for hours with two men inside, unconscious and mouths agape. When police responded, they discovered the vehicle filled with cannabis products valued at nearly $100,000, along with an assault rifle and a handgun.
The cannabis haul, as it turned out, originated from a defunct Bay City dispensary that had reported to state regulators that its inventory was destroyed. How the two men from Wisconsin obtained the product remains unclear, but they now face a dozen charges between them.
This marks at least the third time this year that one of the men has been arrested on cannabis-related charges outside his home state. In a previous incident, he was arrested for allegedly lighting a cannabis joint near the baggage terminal of a Florida airport.
The incident began on July 16th, when police were dispatched around noon to the area of Second Street and Washington Avenue near the former Prime Event Center in Bay City. The report concerned two men slumped over in a parked white Mercedes-Benz, which was still running.
When officers approached the vehicle, they noted the back seat was "filled to the roof" with black garbage bags. Upon knocking on the windows, the driver, Caleb J. Trostle, woke up and claimed he and his passenger were just sleeping. The passenger, Jaden M. Spatz, struggled to keep his eyes open and spoke incoherently, according to police reports.
Trostle, 27, told officers that he and Spatz, 22, were in town for walleye fishing and were simply tired. Spatz refused to identify himself.
When Trostle provided a false name and birthdate, officers arrested him. Trostle, who was carrying $778.12 in cash, declined to speak further after being read his Miranda rights.
Spatz was also detained and taken to jail, where his condition worsened, prompting officers to take him to McLaren Bay Region hospital. During a search of the vehicle, officers found an open alcoholic beverage in the center console, a loaded Smith & Wesson 9mm handgun in the console, a loaded PTAC AR-15 rifle, 41 vacuum-sealed bags each containing about one pound of cannabis flower, hundreds of THC gummies, vapes, tinctures, and 12 jars of THC-infused peanut butter.
In the trunk, officers discovered burglary tools, including an angle grinder, hammers, prybars, wrenches, pliers, and a welding helmet.
Two construction workers in the area had reported the idling car with the unconscious men inside around 9:30 a.m. Police later confirmed with the state's Cannabis Regulatory Agency that the THC products came from a Bay City dispensary that had closed down and reported its inventory destroyed on June 15th.
When contacted, the dispensary's landlord stated that the owner had not paid rent for over a year and had been unresponsive. The owner, living in Canton, declined to speak with police regarding a possible break-in.
The day after his arrest, Spatz made a phone call from the Bay County Jail to a woman in Wisconsin, claiming he had been set up. The woman, however, expressed no sympathy, questioning him about the cannabis and criticizing his lack of caution.
Police estimated the total value of the 37.36 pounds of cannabis flower and other THC items at $82,181.26.
Both Trostle and Spatz have been arraigned in Bay County District Court on six charges each, including manufacturing between 20 to 200 cannabis plants, carrying a dangerous weapon with unlawful intent, carrying a concealed weapon, possession of a loaded firearm in a vehicle, and two counts of felony firearm.
The most serious charge, related to cannabis manufacturing, carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison. A felony firearm conviction requires a minimum two-year prison sentence served consecutively to any related sentence.
As of August 14th, both men remain in Bay County Jail on $150,000 bonds.
Spatz was previously arrested on March 29th in Okaloosa County, Florida, after allegedly lighting a cannabis cigar at an airport baggage terminal. By June 12th, he was arrested again in Porter County, Indiana, on additional cannabis and gun-related charges. After posting a $1,500 bond, Spatz failed to appear for a July 23 court hearing as he was already in custody in Bay County.
Both men are scheduled for a preliminary examination on August 27th.
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