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Trial Set for Twilight Boutique Owners on Drug Charges

Case set for Oct. 15 in Common Pleas Court

 

A trial has been set for the owners of Twilight Boutique, who face felony drug charges after a police raid at their former business March 2.

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Joan Synenberg has set a trial for Oct. 15 for Sean and Sherry Lightner of Columbia Station, both 36 and the husband-wife owners of the business, and for Shane Spohn, 26, an employee who lives in Parma Heights.

All three face felony drug trafficking charges. Police say the 586 packs of "herbal incense" -- sold under names like K2 and Spice -- that were confiscated in the raid contained illegal chemicals.

They are all three free on bond. 

But Scott Lucas, attorney for Sean Lightner, said the court has yet to rule on a motion to dismiss the charges based on "unconstitutional vagueness" of the state statute under which they were charged. 

Twilight Boutique moved out of its Prospect Road storefront at the end of May. A sign said it was moving to Parma.

Linndale Sgt. Tim Franczak, whose department spearheaded the raid, said the defendants are charged with a first-degree felony for selling products that contain an analog of the five chemicals banned by the DEA last year.

The products are marketed as herbal incense, but kids and young adults roll the vegetable matter -- which is treated with chemicals -- into cigarettes and smoke them for what they call "a legal high."

K2 and other synthetic marijuana disappeared from the shelves briefly after the ban, but were replaced by similar products containing slightly different chemicals.

Franczak said lab tests showed the products Twilight Boutique were selling contained an "analog chemical" that was substantially similar to the banned ones.

But Lucas said the defendants are challenging Ohio's recently enacted "analog" law on the grounds that "ordinary, everyday people have to have sufficient notice and understanding of what has been made illegal."

According to Franczak, an undercover officer from Linndale purchased an herbal incense product at Twilight earlier this year that was found to contain an illegal chemical.

Linndale then got a search warrant, which it executed March 2, confiscating not only the incense packets but hundreds of pipes and other smoking implements.

Company representatives have steadfastly denied the charges, saying the products being sold at Twilight Boutique were legal.

The DEA banned the chemicals after growing evidence the they were unsafe and have led to thousands of emergency room visits.

Related Topics: K2, Spice, herbal incense, sean lightner, sherry lightner, and twilight boutique

Jean Williams

1:32 pm on Friday, August 24, 2012

here is a product review right from the K2 site on herbal incense------------

From a regular pot smoker: "I was satisfied with the high I got. It didn't last long, but I did feel some visual effects (things appeared bright, slightly blurry) and a relaxed physical state. I thought the Blonde was more smooth on the lungs and tasted better. I would use K2 if I only had access to low-grade marijuana. For a small amount of money more, one could buy some decent nuggets. I didn't feel any lasting side effects after the two times I sampled the K2."
Odd review for INCENSE

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Jean Williams

1:34 pm on Friday, August 24, 2012

and yet another review of the incense that was seized

We smoked two joints. It smelled like herbal, nonclove cigarettes and made my lips tingle slightly. When the high set in, the world seemed to tick a bit slower, and, wow, if everything wasn't funny as was ... for like five minutes. After that the high creeps off for another 20 or so minutes until it leaves your senses a bit dull, but definitely not too much to talk to police or your boss. Stuff brings on cottonmouth, 'high thoughts,' but no apparent eye redness or lasting burnt-ness. Best part: you know it's not blood pot from a Mexican drug cartel, like most of the brick-weed up in this city. I'll definitely smoke it again."

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Matt

10:49 am on Saturday, August 25, 2012

why did Linndale Sgt. Tim Franczak spearhead the raid? why didnt strongville police handle this? and if Linndale police executed the search warrent, who was manning the speed trap on 71?

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tom m

7:24 pm on Saturday, August 25, 2012

what do you think police departments only handle crimes that are located in their own cities ...the investigation started in linndale (who knows it might have started from someone pulled over in the speedtrap ) and branched into strongsville ......matt jean has brought up a great point ...is K2 used only as a incense or for smoking

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jane

10:46 pm on Saturday, May 4, 2013

It started in lindale bc the guy that was charged with them got pulled over in a "company vehicle" in lindale then the husband sent his wife to go pick the guy up instead of going himself so he could avoid trouble instead of maning up and dealing with it he tried to put it all on his wife

Matt

9:17 am on Tuesday, August 28, 2012

my point was, "why didn't the strongsville cops do anything about it?" seems like they got showed up by Linndale

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LB

10:44 am on Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Because they're too busy doing IMPORTANT things like this.....On Aug. 22, Strongsville dispatchers answered a 911 call and got no verbal response, just someone pushing buttons on the phone.

Police went to the Falmouth Drive home and found a 90-year-old woman who recently moved there and was frustrated -- she was trying to change her address to pay some bills and didn't know how.

An officer stayed and got her address changed on her bills, a report said.

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