South Dakota teacher gets 60 days for THC brownies served to seniors
Michael James Koranda, 46, of Tabor, was arrested on 5 January 2022 after his mother unknowingly served his THC-butter brownies at a senior card game, and sentenced on 15 March 2022 to 60 days in the Bon Homme County jail, two years of probation and $1,116.50 in fine and costs. He pleaded guilty to a felony possession charge after resigning as the district's vocal music teacher.
🇺🇸 Tabor, Bon Homme County, South Dakota · South Dakota, United States
·
Arrested
1
Charged
1
Cannabis
453.6 g
Prison
60 days in the county jail, suspended imposition of sentence, two years of probation
Michael James Koranda, 46, of Tabor, South Dakota, was arrested on 5 January
2022 for possession of a controlled substance, a day after the Bon Homme County
Sheriff’s Office began investigating reports of possible poisonings at the Tabor
Community Center.[1]Bon Homme County dispatchers received several calls
around 8 p.m. on 4 January about possible poisoning at the Tabor Senior Center,
and every patient had been at a card game there earlier that day.[2]The
deputy who wrote the affidavit concluded that all the patients were under the
influence of THC from a batch of brownies that Koranda’s mother brought to the
community center.[1]Koranda’s mother told Sheriff Mark Maggs that her son had
baked a pan of brownies and she took them to the community center card game
without knowing they were made with THC.[1]
At Tabor Elementary School on 5 January, Koranda admitted bringing one pound
(about 0.45 kg) of THC butter back to Tabor from Colorado, where recreational
marijuana is legal for adults.[2]He said he used half a pound of the butter
for the brownies and went to bed, leaving his mother to take the rest to the
game unaware.[2]He handed the remaining half pound of THC butter to
investigators, who placed it into evidence.[2]He was released on $3,000 bond,
and the county clerk’s office said he had not retained an attorney when the
arrest was reported.[1]Koranda taught in the Bon Homme School District, which
still listed him on staff at the time of the arrest reports.[2]
On 15 March 2022, Judge Cheryle Gering gave Koranda a suspended imposition of
sentence and two years of probation for the Class 5 felony of possessing a
controlled substance, which carried up to five years in prison and a $10,000
fine.[3]She also sentenced him to 60 days in the county jail in three 20-day
periods starting 1 July, 1 September and 1 December, which could be waived if he
met court conditions.[3]Koranda was ordered to pay $1,116.50 in fine and
court costs and $2,312.82 in restitution to victims, and to write a letter of
apology.[3]
At sentencing Koranda said he was sorry and that so many people getting sick had
not been his intention.[3]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
Arrested
1
Charged
1
Cannabis
453.6 g
Prison
60 days in the county jail, suspended imposition of sentence, two years of probation
Fine
USD 1,116.5
Deaths
0
Agency type
Court
Cannabis
Herbal cannabis (453.6 g)
Activity
Possession
Setting
Prison
Case stage
Sentenced
Sentence
Prison, Fine, Probation
Sources
NBC Newsnbcnews.comSouth Dakota man arrested after his mom accidentally serves pot brownies to seniors
KTIVktiv.comBatch of pot brownies make their way to card game between senior citizens; Tabor man arrested and charged for mishap
No count of how many seniors ate the brownies or sought medical attention was published.
The THC content and potency of the butter and brownies were not measured in the opened reports, so the pound of butter is counted as cannabis product weight rather than THC.
AP reports more than $3,400 in court costs and restitution combined, while the Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan itemises $1,116.50 in fine and court costs plus $2,312.82 restitution; the report uses the itemised amounts.
The Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan and AP pages could only be read through Wayback captures because their live pages returned access errors.
No reporting was found on whether Koranda served the jail periods or had them waived, or whether the surviving half pound of THC butter was ever weighed beyond the affidavit.
Left out, as its quotation was not found in Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan: He resigned his position as the district's K-12 vocal music teacher because of the case.
Left out, as its quotation was not found in AP News: Gering said she accepted that he had not meant the brownies to reach the card game, but that transporting THC-laced butter from Colorado had harmed unsuspecting victims.
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