Marijuana dispensary theft leads to three arrests in Bozeman, including mother and son
BOZEMAN MT December 26 2019 — Three people allegedly involved in the theft of more than $21,000 of marijuana products from a Bozeman dispensary—including a mother and son—have been arrested and charged in Gallatin County.
Terrance Patrick O’Brien, 18, is charged with burglary in connection with last Monday’s break-in of marijuana dispensary Collective Elevation, on West Main Street in Bozeman.
Terrance’s mother, 36-year-old Brandy O’Brien, was arrested on charges of probation violation, obstructing justice, and tampering with physical evidence.
Eighteen-year-old Alexander Pomerleau, who was charged with burglary in Justice Court on Friday , now faces a further charge of obstructing justice.
According to court documents:
Security video at Collective Elevation recorded four suspects entering the dispensary through a broken front door around 3:30 a.m. on Monday, December 16.
The thieves stole numerous containers of marijuana and marijuana products in less than 2 minutes. Collective Elevation incurred a preliminary financial loss of more than $21,000.
Last Thursday, Bozeman police pursued information from a Bozeman high school student about a Snapchat photo of the stolen marijuana sent by another student.
The information led to a male juvenile who initially denied involvement but later admitted to being one of the four who committed the theft. He identified Terrance O’Brien, O’Brien’s younger juvenile sibling, and Pomerleau as the other three involved in the burglary.
From interviews, detectives determined that O’Brien was planning to deliver the stolen marijuana to North Dakota to sell. It was also determined that Pomerleau, after he was charged in court and released on his own recognizance, had contact with O’Brien and knew of his plans.
As a condition of Pomerleau’s release, he was to have no contact with others involved in the case. He was arrested again on Monday.
In Justice Court Tuesday, Pomerleau was held on $15,000 bail for the obstruction of justice charge.
Court documents say O’Brien was picked up the night of December 16 by a man identified as Juan Scott and stayed with him overnight in Livingston. On Monday, Scott was interviewed by detectives and said he heard Terrance O’Brien speaking to his mother, Brandy, on speaker phone the night of the 16th.
Brandy reportedly told Terrance where the stolen marijuana was hidden in her home. The next day, Terrance and Scott drove back to Bozeman, retrieved the merchandise from Brandy’s home, and traveled to Dickinson, North Dakota, where Terrance sold all the marijuana to another man before returning to Bozeman.
On Monday, police located Terrance O’Brien with Scott and his girlfriend and arrested him.
Court documents say on Friday, detectives also received information that Brandy O’Brien had been hiding Terrance in the attic of Dairy Queen where she works and had been in contact with him throughout the burglary and knew of his plans.
Brandy O’Brien was formally charged in Justice Court Tuesday. Her bail was set at $75,000 each for the obstruction and tampering with evidence charges, to run concurrently.
Bail for Terrance O’Brien was set at $25,000. The next court date for all three suspects is scheduled for January 10.
