Micheal Demond Graham and Lavall Perkins in 37th District Court in Warren in 2023.
MACOMB DAILY FILEP PHOTO
Two men were found guilty last Friday of attempted murder, robbery and conspiracy for robbing an illegal Warren marijuana dispensary of cash and shooting at a security guard last year.
Lavall E. Perkins, 64, of Detroit, and Micheal D. Graham, 49, of Eastpointe, were convicted of all charges by a jury following a seven-day jury trial in front of Macomb County Circuit Judge Edward Servitto.
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The pair face years in prison at their Oct. 16 sentencing. Both men have virtually clean prior criminal records.
Perkins’ attorney, Steve Freers, said his client didn’t know the robbery was going to take place, adding he was under the influence of alcohol and marijuana when he went along with Graham and a third unidentified man, who appeared to be the leader.
“I feel he was an innocent victim of his own stupidity,” Freers said. “He was drunk and high and didn’t know what was going.”
He said they were driving around drinking and smoking, “hanging out with the driver and the next thing he knows” the robbery ensues.
The incident occurred June 9 when one of the suspects caused a disturbance outside of Bring Me A Bag dispensary on Sherwood Avenue, north of 10 Mile Road, according to police and prosecutors. The unidentified suspect fired a shot through the glass door that struck a responding security guard, according to Macomb prosecutors. The unidentified suspect unlocked the door and shot at the victim again as he was retreating, prosecutors said, then he and Perkins entered the store and stole the safe, according to prosecutors. Both robbers exited the store to a waiting Chevy Tahoe driven by Graham, who worked at the dispensary. The safe, which was not recovered, was placed in the truck.
Freers said his client was told by the shooter to steal marijuana and left after failing to find any.
Within hours of the incident, police identified the Chevy Tahoe used by the suspects via a license-plate reader.
That information led them to Graham’s Eastpointe home, where he and Perkins were arrested as they were leaving, each carrying a large amount of cash in their pockets, based on information at the preliminary examination, although the men claimed the money was obtained legitimately.
The culprit who shot the guard has never been identified.
A fourth man was charged but those counts were dropped due to his lack of involvement. The dispensary later shut down.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant Macomb Prosecutors Jacqueline Gartin and Megan McKeon.