How a Night of Drinking and Marijuana Turned Into a Dispensary Robbery Gone Wrong

What started as a day of drinking and smoking marijuana turned into a violent and chaotic night for two men, resulting in a botched robbery, an attempted murder charge, and an uncertain future behind bars. Last Friday, Lavall E. Perkins, 64, of Detroit, and Micheal D. Graham, 49, of Eastpointe, were convicted for their roles in robbing an illegal marijuana dispensary in Warren, Michigan.

Their story, however, sheds light on how a mix of alcohol, drugs, and poor decisions can lead to devastating consequences. The jury in Macomb County Circuit Court took just seven days to find both men guilty of all charges, including attempted murder, robbery, and conspiracy.

Their sentencing is scheduled for October 16, where they face the grim reality of serving years in prison. The crime, which left a security guard shot and a dispensary stripped of its cash, could have been avoided, according to Perkins' attorney, Steve Freers, if it weren’t for the influence of substances and bad decisions.

On June 9, 2022, Perkins and Graham were driving around the city, drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana—what they likely assumed would be just another carefree day of indulgence. But when a third unidentified man, who was the apparent ringleader of the group, joined them, the situation quickly spiraled out of control.

According to Freers, his client was too intoxicated to fully comprehend what was happening when the trio decided to target the Bring Me A Bag dispensary on Sherwood Avenue. “He was an innocent victim of his own stupidity,” Freers explained, emphasizing that Perkins didn’t know the robbery was going to happen.

He was drunk and high and didn’t know what was going on. In the heat of the moment, however, the line between innocence and complicity became blurred. What began as a hazy night of intoxication soon turned into a crime that would change their lives forever.

The incident began when one of the suspects, believed to be the leader, created a disturbance outside the dispensary. It wasn’t long before things escalated. The suspect fired a shot through the glass door, striking the dispensary’s security guard.

The gunman then unlocked the door and fired another round as the wounded guard retreated. While the guard’s injuries could have been fatal, he survived the shooting—an act that would lead to attempted murder charges for all involved.

Perkins and the shooter entered the store, intending to grab whatever valuables they could find. They quickly stole a safe, which was later loaded into a Chevy Tahoe driven by Graham, who, in a twist, was an employee of the dispensary itself. The safe, however, was never recovered.

Freers claims his client was told to steal marijuana but left after failing to find any. "He had no plan to get involved in a robbery," Freers said, pointing to the powerful influence of the alcohol and marijuana that clouded his judgment.

Despite the chaos of the robbery, police quickly zeroed in on the suspects. Within hours, a license-plate reader identified the Chevy Tahoe used in the crime, leading law enforcement to Graham’s home in Eastpointe.

Both Perkins and Graham were arrested as they attempted to leave the residence, each carrying a suspiciously large amount of cash. Although they claimed the money was obtained legitimately, the circumstances surrounding the robbery made that defense hard to swallow.

The man who shot the security guard remains unidentified, a loose end that casts a shadow over the case. A fourth individual was originally charged in connection to the crime but had those charges dropped due to a lack of involvement. The dispensary has since shut down.

While Graham and Perkins now await sentencing, their case raises questions about how substances like alcohol and marijuana can cloud judgment and lead to impulsive, dangerous decisions. The men had virtually clean criminal records before the robbery, a point their defense attorneys highlighted. However, on that fateful day, their poor decisions while under the influence led them down a path they hadn’t planned on taking.

In the case of Perkins, his defense lawyer argued that he was in no condition to be part of a planned robbery. He was, as Freers put it, “an innocent victim of his own stupidity,” tagging along without fully understanding the gravity of what was about to unfold. But the jury wasn’t convinced that intoxication excused the crime. Under the law, being under the influence of drugs or alcohol doesn’t negate the intent to commit a crime, especially when such a crime results in violence.

As the October 16 sentencing date looms, both men face a harsh reality: years behind bars for a crime that, according to their defense, was never truly intended. The story serves as a sobering reminder of how quickly a day of casual drinking and drug use can unravel into a serious, life-altering event.

The robbery of the Bring Me A Bag dispensary may have been the result of a poorly thought-out plan hatched in the haze of alcohol and marijuana, but its consequences are all too real. With their futures uncertain and their lives forever changed, Perkins and Graham are left to face the penalties for a night of bad decisions.

Can being drunk and high be an excuse for committing a crime?