SAGINAW TOWNSHIP, MI — Members of a local family said they are upset after eight BAYANET officers broke open their front door Monday night, ransacking the home to seize marijuana, cash and property.

Pot supporters, some from outside of Saginaw County, responded to offer support to the family.

Richard Markva, 42, lives in the home with his children, Tyler Markva, 17, Brittney Markva, 22, and Brittney's 2-year-old daughter, Areigha.

Brittney Markva said she was sleeping and awoke as Bay Area Narcotics Enforcement Team officers used a battering ram to knock down the front door.

An officer with a rifle drawn led the team of officers through the front door, Tyler Markva said. He was put on the ground and handcuffed while the officers searched the home.

They were looking for drugs and had a warrant, searching the home to find marijuana in a few locations, totaling about 22 grams, Brittney Markva said, along with two digital scales and a pipe.

The officers seized the marijuana and about $1,000 cash Brittney Markva had in her purse and took her safety deposit box information, seizing about $3,000 she had at a bank. They also took a lease agreement and documents related to a new business that she was working to open in Bay City.

A BAYANET official confirmed that the agency executed a search warrant for narcotics at the Saginaw township home but could not comment further on the ongoing investigation.

She said she earned the money legally with a steady job, and she declined to share where she works.

Support from the pro-pot community

Rick Thompson of Flint, co-host of the Medical Marijuana Radio Show, said he is one of many activists around the state who respond to reports of raids to talk with the people involved and offer them guidance.

Thompson said his top priority is to make sure the people involved have proper legal representation and they hire attorneys familiar with recent changes in marijuana law.

Charmie Gholson of Ann Arbor, founder of Michigan Moms United to end the War on Drugs, also came to the Saginaw Township home Tuesday.

Gholson is against asset forfeiture and believes law enforcement agencies target individuals with assets for raids.

Gholson thinks asset forfeiture should come only after a conviction. She was at the home to speak with the family and offer support and guidance.

Gholson and Thompson both believe there was a better way BAYANET could have conducted the raid.

Markva said she has contacted a lawyer who is working to post bond and take back the seized cash and property.

No transactions of money or marijuana were made at the home, she said, and she doesn't know who tipped BAYANET to raid the house. She, her father and brother are upset about the raid over a "small amount" of marijuana with no proof of sales.

Her father, Richard Markva, had visited a doctor and was in the process of getting his medical marijuana card, his daughter said, but he did not have it in hand at the time of the raid.

Brittney Markva said she uses marijuana for recreation.

"We're not messing with anybody," she said. "We're not going crazy or getting into accidents. We're not bothering anyone."

Tyler Markva was arrested and spent a few hours in jail. He said he was being charged with distribution but had not been arraigned.

In the weeks before the raid, members of the family said they were pulled over while driving several times by sheriff's deputies and believe officers were taking away their trash.

Friends and others who are against the government's war on drugs have come to the home to show support for the family.

In the past

Brittney's grandmother, Kathy Deweese, said she doesn't want trouble with the law to affect her relatives for the rest of their lives.

Deweese said she was also raided about 15 years ago by authorities in Saginaw Township, and they found a quarter-pound of marijuana. Deweese said she spent a few days in jail and pleaded to a misdemeanor charge, and her husband was charged with a felony.

She is worried that felony charges against 17-year-old Tyler would stay with him for the rest of his life.

Brad Devereaux Email | Facebook | Twitter | 989-372-2442