REBECCA BRUSOE

IRON MOUNTAIN — A Norway woman who illegally grew marijuana at a Breitung Township business will begin serving a three-month jail term in November.

Rebecca Ann Brusoe, 33, was sentenced Tuesday in Dickinson County Circuit Court, but Judge Mary Barglind postponed the start date to coincide with the jail release of her co-defendant, 41-year-old Aric Michael Ostorero of Norway.

The pair have children, so the judge and prosecutors agreed to staggered sentences. However, Brusoe’s one-year probation term will start immediately.

Brusoe previously pleaded guilty to delivery or manufacture of marijuana as a habitual offender-second.

Michigan State Police troopers went to White Birch Plaza on March 21, 2016, for a commercial burglary alarm and detected an odor of marijuana throughout the building, according to the criminal complaint.

They found and seized approximately 3 pounds of processed marijuana, 78 marijuana plants and some suspected psilocybin mushrooms from the Aric’s Indoor Garden Supply store, according to the initial news release from the state police post.

Brusoe and Ostorero had been leasing the store area and an adjacent space at the time, according to previous court testimony.

At sentencing, defense attorney David Kivisaari said Brusoe realizes she went above Michigan’s medical marijuana laws by growing too many plants. However, he pointed out she and Ostorero were not selling the plants — they were growing them to treat their own medical conditions.

Dickinson County Assistant Prosecutor Kristin Kass was troubled by Brusoe’s previous convictions, believing they signified she hasn’t learned from her mistakes. Kass urged the judge to send a message that illegal marijuana grows aren’t acceptable.

Brusoe apologized for not being more careful in complying with medical marijuana laws and emphasized she has learned her lesson.

Barglind commended Brusoe for showing remorse for her actions, which she hadn’t done in a previous written statement. But the judge said 78 plants, regardless of their size, showed Brusoe and Ostorero intentionally were trying to grow more than allowed under their medical marijuana cards.

Nikki Younk can be reached at 906-774-2772, ext. 41, or nyounk@ironmountaindailynews.com.