Almost seven years after police raided his Putnam Pike marijuana grow and the state swooped in to confiscate his warehouse and everything inside it – including 15 five-gallon buckets – Joseph Ricci is getting it all back.
In a protracted case in which the former licensed marijuana grower contends the police lied about having a confidential informant to gain a search warrant, and then last year destroyed some seized marijuana that could have supported his defense, the state has agreed to settle the property confiscation aspect of the lawsuit.
Ricci's separate federal lawsuit alleging the police search was illegal and a violation of his constitutional rights remains pending in U.S. District Court.
A provision in the property settlement agreement stipulates "this is a compromise reached by the parties of this dispute claim only and no inference to either party's culpability or liability may be drawn from this compromise in any way or for any purpose."
Read more at providencejournal.com