BY PHIL CUSTODIO
Clarkston News Editor
Deputies are looking for four masked men who broke into a home, threatened to burn alive the couple inside, and stole their money, 12:59 a.m., Nov. 30, in the 7000 block of Chipmunk Hollow.
A 63-year-old Holly Township man, who is still hospitalized in stable condition, said he and his girlfriend, a 64-year-old Independence Township woman, were watching TV in the residence’s basement when four male suspects wearing ski masks and brandishing firearms ran down the basement stairs and held them at gun point.
The suspects tied up the victims using zip ties on their wrists and ankles, and demanded money.
The male victim says he previously owned a marijuana dispensary outside Independence Township, and believed the home invasion was related to that business. He claims he got out of the business due to a man he knew who was pressuring him to sell him marijuana plants, which the victim refused.
During the home invasion, the male victim was kicked repeatedly in his rib cage. The suspects also poured gasoline on the victims, threatening to set them and the house on fire if they did not give them money. The suspects stole $7,200 cash from a closet in the victim’s home.
The male victim was transported to a local hospital by paramedics from The Independence Fire Department, for a non-life threatening injury to his ribs. The male victim was listed in stable condition.
An OCSO K-9 Unit responded to the scene and established a track, which was later terminated when it was determined the suspects fled the area possibly in a white van. An evidence technician responded to the scene to process the scene. The incident has been turned over to detectives for further investigation.
Independence Township ordinances ban possession or use of marijuana, but includes a medical exemption. The township has no medical marijuana dispensaries, according to the sheriff’s Independence Township substation.