Pubdate: Fri, 17 Dec 2010 Source: Missoulian (MT) Copyright: 2010 Missoulian Contact: http://www.missoulian.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/720 Author: Gwen Florio MEDICAL POT ENTREPRENEUR CHRIST CHARGED WITH FELONY INTIMIDATION Jason Christ, perhaps Montana's best-known medical marijuana proponent, faces an accusation of felony intimidation in connection with an alleged bomb threat at the Verizon store on South Reserve Street in August. The complaint filed in Missoula County District Court this week marks Christ's most recent involvement in a long interaction with the legal system. Law enforcement authorities searched his Montana Caregivers Network offices last month, and he was charged with disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor, after an outburst at a car-repair shop last summer. He's entangled in lawsuits with medical marijuana competitors, and three former employees are suing him for wrongful termination. But this is the first felony complaint in Missoula County against Christ, whose traveling "cannabis caravans" became infamous for providing doctor recommendations for medical marijuana to hundreds of patients within a few hours. Two of the Verizon store employees got a restraining order against him following the Aug. 18 incident, after calling police to report that Christ had threatened to bomb the store if he didn't get to speak to a manager. Police went to the store and interviewed a manager who was "visibly shaken," and they also looked at notes taken by the employee who received Christ's call, according to an affidavit in the case. Shortly after police left, Christ allegedly called the store again - but this time, the conservation was recorded. Christ's first audible words, according to the transcript, were: "Are you white, black, Hispanic, or what, so I can know ta call you racial slurs." After a brief back-and-forth as to whether the employee's ethnicity mattered, Christ complained that he'd bought four phones for his company and spent more than $3,000 getting service, which he'd tried to cancel twice in the previous two days because he was dissatisfied - or, as he put it - "because I (expletive) hate this service." Twice during the conversation, Christ said he was disabled - he has said in the past he uses copious amounts of medical marijuana to relieve the pain of hemorrhoids and Crohn's disease - but he also threatened to "kick the (expletive) out of your store and break things and kock over computers and knock over stands." He ended that particular outburst with "(expletive) you, (expletive) you, (expletive) you, (expletive) you, (expletive) you, (expletive) you, (expletive) you, (expletive) you, you piece of (expletive)." One store employee told police that Christ was a "problem customer" and the manager "described several earlier incidents with (Christ), in which he was profane and difficult." And, she said, "He's always been agitated but today he was threatening. There was a difference." She told police she was worried Christ would come to the store with a gun or bomb. She and another store employee obtained protection orders naming Christ, and police got a warrant for Christ's phone records. The manager also hired a guard for two weeks, according to earlier court papers filed in connection with the incident. Christ called police a week later and told them he'd been in Great Falls when the call was made, suggesting that someone else had "spoofed" his phone. But police determined the call was made from his phone in Great Falls. In earlier interviews with the Missoulian, Christ attributed the complaint to the fact that the store manager was a close friend to one of his rivals in the medical marijuana business. He did not respond Thursday to a call from the Missoulian seeking comment. Christ faces two counts of intimidation, a felony that carries a penalty of 10 years in prison and a $50,000 fine, and a misdemeanor count of privacy in communications, punishable by six months in jail and a $500 fine. He was ordered to appear in Missoula County Justice Court on Jan. 3. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D