A Gem Village man accused of conspiring with his son to rob a medical marijuana dispensary in Durango will have to come up with a significant sum of cash to leave jail anytime soon.
La Plata County Judge Martha Minot set bail at $100,000 on Tuesday after District Attorney Todd Risberg argued that Joe Griffith may pose a threat to the community.
Griffith, 44, pretended to be a customer Saturday, while his son, Logan Griffith, 19, used a handgun to rob the Rocky Mountain High Dispensary at 48 East Animas Road (County Road 250), said Lt. Darrell Robertson with the Durango Police Department.
The son is suspected of entering the business wearing a dark hoodie and a ski mask. He carried a loaded semi-automatic handgun and ordered an employee to open a cash register and a safe, police said. He used duct tape and zip ties to bind two employees and a “customer,” who actually was his father.
Logan Griffith made off with about $3,000 in cash, according to an arrest affidavit. He had a “copious” amount of packaged marijuana at the time of his arrest, Robertson said.
Police interviewed Joe Griffith at the scene of the crime, believing he was a victim. They then drove him past Logan to see if he could identify the man as the suspect, according to an arrest affidavit. The father told police the man looked too tall and too young to be the suspect. He did not mention the suspect was his son.
Logan later confessed to the robbery, and said he and his father planned to use the money to pay bills and household expenses, according to court documents. He told police the robbery was his plan, but he had been discussing it with his father for four months, according to court documents.
Logan also said he planned to cut off the fingers or toes of anyone who refused to cooperate, according to the affidavit. He carried a pocket knife during the robbery, according to police. He also said he would have shot anyone who attempted to fight him, according to court records.
During questioning, Logan told police his father was ex-military, and if police attempted to arrest him, there was a strong likelihood his father would shoot them, according to documents. Joe Griffith was arrested without incident Monday morning at his home in Gem Village on suspicion of conspiring with his son, Robertson said.
Joe Griffith seemed to corroborate what his son had said, telling police that if the SWAT team had shown up Sunday, he had a mind to kill them, himself and blow up the trailer where he lives, Risberg said Tuesday in court. The father also told police he had committed armed robbery, home invasions and homicides in the past, Risberg said. But neither the judge nor prosecutor had any evidence of a criminal history.
“I think he should be held in custody,” Risberg said.
Risberg asked that bail be set at $250,000 to ensure Griffith would remain behind bars.
Minot initially said she thought $50,000 bail would be sufficient, because Joe Griffith is unemployed and does not appear to have a criminal history. But at the very last moment of the hearing, she raised the bail, saying Risberg had planted a “seed of doubt” that $50,000 would not be enough.
If Griffith does make bail, he will be prohibited from going to Rocky Mountain High Dispensary, contacting specific employees, drinking alcohol, using controlled substances and possessing weapons.
A court-appointed lawyer was not present to defend Griffith during Tuesday’s arraignment.
On Monday, Judge Minot reduced Logan Griffith’s bail from $50,000 to a personal recognizance bond, meaning he pays nothing unless he fails to show up to court or if he violates terms of his release.
Both men are former employees at The Durango Herald, where they worked in maintenance.
Anyone with additional information about Saturday’s incident is asked to call detectives Burke Baldwin or Josh Newman at 375-4734.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
