Staff report

JEFERSON – A Sparta resident was arrested after he allegedly stole a bottle of Kratom from behind the counter at a gas station and then ran inside a bathroom to use it, police said.

On Nov. 5, police went to the Exxon station on Route 15 North after a report came in that employees there were having trouble with a customer.

The officers met with the station owner who said that a customer still inside the store had allegedly stolen an item known as “Kratom,” which is an herbal supplement that can be abused.

The man allegedly grabbed the Kratom from behind a counter and ran into a bathroom, police said.

An employee attempted to confront the man but he allegedly produced a knife, police said.

Sgt. Joseph Johnson and Officer Brian Seeley went inside the store and found the man, Michael Chahalis, 43, of Sparta, and placed him under arrest.

A search incidental to the arrest produced an empty and open packet of Kratom, police said.

Kratom is a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia. It’s leaves are crushed and then smoked, brewed with tea, or placed into gel capsules. Consumption of the leaves produces both stimulant effects (in low doses) and sedative effects (in high doses), and can lead to psychotic symptoms and psychological addiction, according to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, which has sought to make it illegal in the United States.

Chahalis was charged with robbery, unlawful possession of a weapon, simple assault, theft and shoplifting. His bail was set at $50,000.