Robert Joseph Simmons, 33, claims he’s not a lazy hippie, or in his words, a “ragamuffin,” but rather a Rastafarian minister whose refusal to abandon his beliefs might land him behind bars for a long time.
Simmons said he’s facing up to eight years in prison over a pot bust because he did not accept a plea agreement with prosecutors last week that would have had him serving just 60 days.
In August 2011, Simmons was approached by an officer in Belmont and searched because he was on parole. He was found with 161 grams of pot, a digital scale, 45 plastic bags and $965 in cash, a prosecutor said. While Simmons said he had a medical marijuana card at the time and was operating a widely advertised delivery service, he has been charged with felony intent to sell because the delivery service was never sanctioned.
Last week, prosecutors offered Simmons a seemingly “kush” deal, but he balked. Simmons — who converted to the Rastafarian religion due to the influence of his reggae-band pals — said accepting the deal would have gone against his principles.
Simmons said he was ordained as a Rastafarian minister online for free. Since then, he has been on a crusade to prove that he doesn’t need a doctor’s recommendation to possess marijuana — and also should be allowed to sell weed — because the plant is a “core tenet” of his religion.
He’s tried the First Amendment argument before. After a 2007 pot bust, according to prosecutors, a judge ruled that Simmons’ claim was dubious at best and sentenced him to prison for a probation violation.
On May 6, Simmons asked a judge to grant him one more day to decide whether to accept the plea agreement. However, Simmons failed to show up for the hearing the following day, claiming he had gone to a San Francisco hospital with an anxiety attack.
Meanwhile, he said he’s trying to keep afloat his unsanctioned medical marijuana delivery business on the Peninsula, which is advertised on Yelp.
“I’ve been running it as a subsidiary of my church,” Simmons said, adding that he has not reported his earnings to the Internal Revenue Service due to the federal tax exemption for smart card.
My dad would slowly walk down each aisle and fill several bags with trinkets: pens, notepads, candy, flashlights, screwdrivers, calendars, plastic carts, model trucks, decals, rulers, magnets and virtually anything free. Dad always said, "For free, take!"
You could see the trade show veterans and old-timers cruising down the aisles, occasionally on their scooters. Dad and Hank Van Weelden were both in their 80s. By noon they were both taking a nap on a couch across from the RDK booth.
If you just listened, you might have thought you were at the Farm Progress Show because there was so much BS tossed about, who had the most trucks, the latest and greatest, the biggest contract, nicest vacation home or boat.
When the doors open, I'm on a mission, with a plan. Tuesday's goal is to walk every aisle and see all of the booths, vendors and exhibits. Wednesday, I target the ones I'm interested in. Thursday, I tie up any loose ends.
If you are serious, wear comfortable shoes. Work boots or tennis shoes are your best bet. The only thing dress shoes are going to get you are blisters. When I was doing all the major purchasing for our company, I typically couldn't walk two aisles on the first day. Everyone wanted to BS, sell you something, schmooze or do their best to make you a captive audience that night.
Back then, Waste Expo was exciting for a number of reasons. In the era of acquisition roll-ups, it was the time to announce big buys or mergers, unveil new products, announce promotions or introduce new management.
National companies set up strategically throughout the expo with two goals in mind: Attract the independent guy thinking about being acquired and attract investors and venture capitalists to fund growth and capital expenditures.
The doors swing open at 10 o'clock and the first glimpse is breathtaking! New trucks, new equipment, banners, flags and trinkets everywhere. These are your friends, neighbors and family.
Three days in the garbage man's paradise. What could possibly be better? Having access to resources like this, all in one place at one time, with the real decision-makers.
It's getting tougher to go as the years fly by. Forty five years of Waste Expos leaves us with casualties on a regular basis. For those of us who are considered dinosaurs, we look around the hall like we read the obituaries, first thing in the newspaper. Where is Larry Downing? Where are John Drury, Dave Leach, Don Link, Joe Heil, John Groot, Ben Heslinga, John Groenboom, Everett Van Der Molen and Dick Evenhouse?
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