Grandmother to Stand Trial in K-2 Related Shooting Death

The 911 tape in which 17-year-old Jonathan Hoffman, of West Bloomfield pleads for his life while being shot his grandmother, is played in open court Monday.

Are you signed up for the Patch daily newsletter? Don't wait, get Patched-in now! BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP — Jonathan Hoffman called 911 and pleaded for help after being shot, in a recording played at his grandmother's preliminary examination at 48th District Court Monday. "My grandma shot me," Hoffman said. "I'm going to die. Help me." Prosecutors say Hoffman, 17, died May 18 as a result of multiple gunshot wounds to his upper body at the hands of Sandra Layne, 74, in the West Bloomfield condominium which she owns on Brookview Lane. Layne was bound over for trial to Oakland County Circuit Court by Judge Kimberly Small on an open charge of murder and possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony.  During the six-minute call, Hoffman …

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Gov. Snyder Expected to Sign K-2, Spice Ban Into Law

Possessing and distributing the synthetic drugs tied to multiple local tragedies will be outlawed starting July 1.

Gov. Rick Snyder is expected today to sign a package of bills that will outlaw the synthetic drugs known as K-2 or Spice. The substance has been sold legally because it is marketed as herbal incense or potpurri, and is labeled "not for human consumption." However, police agencies from around metro Detroit have reported multiple crimes, bizarre incidents, and even the overdose death of a Bloomfield Township teen tied to it's use as a recreational drug. Oliver Smith, 18, was found dead on May 26 by a fisherman on the shore of Wing Lake,  and Bloomfield Township Police said his death was directly related to using K-2. The tragedy sparked a national petition drive to implement a federal ban, and mobilized local municipalities to implement …

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Spice 101: What is it? Where Does it Come From? What are the Side Effects?

With so much being said in the media about Spice, Patch takes a look at some cold hard facts about the synthetic drug. Also, listen to a young adult's first-hand account with the deadly substance.

It’s been cited by Bloomfield Township police as the cause of 18-year-old Bloomfield Township resident Oliver Smith’s death and is alleged to have influenced 19-year-old Farmington Hills resident Tucker Cipriano’s fatal attack on his family. It’s called Spice, or K2, but what exactly is this increasingly infamous substance? The National Institute on Drug Abuse defines “Spice,” as “a wide variety of herbal mixtures that produce experiences similar to marijuana (cannabis) and that are marketed as ‘safe,’ legal alternatives to that drug.” However, NIDA, law enforcement officials and doctors in the Metro Detroit area say the substance is anything but “safe.”  Although Spice is commonly defined as “synthetic marijuana,” Dr. Sanford Vieder, …

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Join the Experts for a Webchat on the Dangers of K-2

Bring your questions and learn about the synthetic drug dominating the local news at noon today.

Battle of the Bands to Honor Memory of Oliver Smith

The Birmingham Bloomfield Community Coalition will dedicate next week's competition to the Bloomfield Township teen that died after using K-2.

Officials with the Birmingham Bloomfield Community Coalition confirmed Thursday that the Battle of the Bands on June 15 will be dedicated to Oliver Smith, the 18-year-old who died last month in an apparent overdose tied to K-2 or Spice. Carol Mastroianni, the BBCC's executive director, also said that participants at the annual event in Birmingham's Shain Park will spend 18 seconds in silence to mark each year of his life. The decision was finalized Wednesday by the organization's Youth Action Board, which is comprised of teens from area public and private schools who volunteer their time to help prevent underage substance use and abuse. "Our Youth Action Board team felt very strongly about doing this because this has really impacted …

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BP Becomes Latest to Ban Sale of K-2, Spice

The national gas chain has asked local station owners to stop the sale of Spice and K2 following tragedies, including death of Bloomfield Township teen.

BP has become the latest company to ask its gas stations to stop selling Spice and K-2 in the wake of three local tragedies. In a letter sent Tuesday, Susan Hayden of BP asked local gas station owners to stop selling Spice and other products that are usually labeled as incense to "mask their intended purpose." "Beginning immediately, all BP-branded sites are prohibited from displaying, using, storing, offering or selling illegal drugs, OR synthetic drugs produced to mimic illegal drugs, (including, but not limited to cannabinoids), or items that are intended or designed for use in ingesting, inhaling or otherwise consuming an illegal drug," Hayden wrote in the letter. "Prohibited items will include, but not be limited to, pipes, tubes, …

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West Bloomfield Approves K2 Ban Following Tragedies

The emergency ordinance will make the sale or possession of K-2 a misdemeanor with penalties of $500 and/or up to 90 days in jail.

  West Bloomfield on Monday became the first local government to implement a ban on the synthetic marijuana — known as K-2 or Spice — in the wake of recent tragedies, including the apparent deadly overdose of a Bloomfield Township teen. The West Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees unanimously voted to make the substance, which is sold legally — for now — a misdemeanor crime to possess or sell within township borders. Those found guilty of violating the ban face a penalties of $500 and/or up to 90 days in jail. Clerk Cathy Shaughnessy said the ordinance could be enforced as early as today. “We requested this ordinance be drafted after the overdose death of a Bloomfield Township teenager over the Memorial Day weekend,” wrote Shaughnessy …

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Thrills Thrillington

12:55 pm on Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Jason - If you only knew the story behind this story you wouldn't say such things, especially "I'm sure catching that young boy and locking him up in jail where he would have been exposed to harder drugs with higher addiction and death rates and violent criminals would have prevented his death." How do you they DIDN'T do that? Do you have kids? Do you know of the pain and suffering and heartache …   more ›

Local Tragedy Spurs Petition Drive to Ban K-2

A friend of Oliver Smith, who died from apparent overdose of synthetic drug over the weekend, launches online campaign.

  A friend of Bloomfield Township resident Oliver Smith has started a online petition drive to get K-2, the synthetic drug that police said the 18-year-old Bloomfield Township resident overdosed on over the weekend banned nationwide. Ryan Young, currently a student at Oakland University, launched the petition drive on the White House website with the hopes of convincing President Obama and his administration to take action. "It is imperative that synthetic cannabis be banned at once in all forms that it exists in," Young wrote in a comment to Patch Tuesday on a story about Oliver's death. "Too much tragedy surrounds its existence. Please help the families and friends of lost loved ones from synthetic cannabis use to not let their deaths be…

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