Troy Marijuana Clinic Operator Charged with 21 Felonies Breaks Down in Court

ROYAL OAK, MI — The Royal Oak doctor who faces 22 felonies for allegedly threatening to kill court officials wept Tuesday at the sight of his parents in the courtroom at his probable cause hearing in 44th District Court.
Dr. Kumar Singh, 47, was accused earlier this month of making numerous threats on social media, by phone and by text message targeting Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper, members of her staff, a bailiff, a retired judge and others, according to media reports.

Singh, the medical director at GreenLite medical marijuana clinic in Troy, was called as a witness in a criminal drug trial about three ago, and authorities believe he still holds a grudge against court officials for what he considers his tarnished reputation.

The Detroit News said Singh, who is being held in jail on $1 million bond, smiled and gave a three-fingered wave to his parents, who were seated in the front row of the gallery in Judge Jamie Wittenberg’s courtroom, before he broke down in tears.

He was arraigned earlier this month on 21 felonies and one misdemeanor, including false threat of terrorism; multiple terrorism counts of using a computer, the internet and telecommunications devices to commit a crime; and ethnic intimidation. The charges could send Singh to prison for up to 20 years.

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The judge also revoked Singh’s probation on a Sept. 7 conviction of reckless discharge of a firearm, which stemmed from an incident involving the discharge of an assault-style rifle at his Royal Oak apartment on July 16, according to reports.

All but one of the new charges against Singh are felonies. The ethnic intimidation charge stems from comments Singh allegedly made to the effect that he is brown-skinned, and was going to go after someone who was white.

Cooper has recused herself from the case, which will be prosecuted by Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton’s office.

The probable cause hearing and the probation revocation hearing were both adjourned until Oct. 4 after his attorney, Matthew Abel, abruptly withdrew from the cases, The Detroit News reported.

“The volume of work that is increasing after the governor signed the medical marijuana bill makes it difficult to do a competent job and also defend Dr. Singh,” said Abel, whose Cannabis Counsel law firm specializes in marijuana cases.

Singh said he can’t afford an attorney, and Wittenberg said one would be appointed for him.

Singh was arrested on Sept. 12 after a search warrant served on his residence by Royal Oak police turned up weapons and other evidence. At the time, Leyton said evidence gathered at Singh’s apartment indicated he planned to carry out his threats.

“The fact of the matter is that based upon evidence that we gathered, we perceive this to be a real threat, and we weren’t going to wait around to see what might transpire,” Leyton told WWJ. “ So we were proactive, and based on the evidence these charges have been issued.”

Mugshot via Oakland County Jail