Man pleads not guilty in pot brownie case
A self-described Costa Mesa gang member pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges related to the sale of marijuana to minors after two Newport Harbor High School students allegedly bought pot brownies and Pop-Tarts from a man named “Clever,” police said.
Isaac Adam Greer, 33, appeared in Orange County Superior Court on two felony counts of selling marijuana to a minor and a third felony count of possessing marijuana for sale, court records show.
Costa Mesa police arrested him Tuesday. But the case stretches back to Jan. 18 when, according to a Costa Mesa police news release, detectives began investigating a dealer named “Clever” after a parent reported that a child had fallen sick after eating a pot brownie.
In the weeks that followed, detectives observed Greer meeting with a minor, who allegedly told them that he bought marijuana from Greer. Police allege that Greer is “Clever.”
Greer distributed business cards with his contact information, “telling students to give them to their friends,” police said in the release.
Detectives allegedly found brownie mix and nearly 50 pounds of marijuana when they searched Greer’s Honda Accord, a Huntington Beach storage location and a Costa Mesa motel room where he was living.
“You put two and two together,” CMPD Lt. Paul Dondero said. “He’s got a lot of marijuana. He’s got the brownie mix. Our minds tell us this could probably be a good connection to the other things.”
Authorities also found business cards, scales for measuring marijuana and vacuum-packaging equipment among the locations.
Greer was booked at Costa Mesa Police Jail and later transported to the Orange County Jail. His bail was set Thursday at $500,000.
Police are continuing to investigate whether Greer was involved in Pomona Elementary and TeWinkle Middle schools students becoming ill in March and April of last year after eating marijuana-laced brownies that another student gave them.
A student was arrested at each school on suspicion of bringing the brownies to campus.