INDIAN AMERICAN ROYAL OAK DOCTOR CHARGED WITH THREATENING PROSECUTOR

ROYAL OAK, MICHIGAN (TIP): A family physician who operates a medical marijuana clinic in Oakland County. Michigan, has been jailed on charges that he made Internet (Facebook) threats to kill Oakland County prosecutor Jessica Cooper, two assistant prosecuting attorneys and others.

Dr. Kumar A. Singh of Royal Oak was arrested last Sunday, September 11, after two of his targeted victims made police reports after learning of the threats allegedly made by Singh on Facebook on Sept. 10. He was arraigned on 22 charges Wednesday, September 14, and is being held in the Oakland County Jail in lieu of $1 million bond.

Singh, 47, allegedly made various threats to kill with an assault rifle several individuals including prosecutors, judges, attorneys, bailiffs and others as a result of what he perceives to be mistreatment in a criminal case from 2013-14 in Oakland County.

He claimed the case “severely tarnished his reputation,” according to John Potbury, a spokesman of the Genesee County Prosecutor’s Office, which will be handling the case because Cooper has recused herself.

“He was apparently a witness in a criminal case a few years ago,” Potbury said. “He was cross-examined by an assistant prosecutor. That assistant prosecutor didn’t have any subsequent conversations that he can recall.

A search warrant was issued and evidence found that indicates he had the ability to carry out the threats.”

Potbury did not elaborate on what was found in Singh’s residence other than weapons.

Cooper’s chief deputy, Paul Walton, said several of those who allegedly received Facebook threats, texts or telephone calls from Singh had contacted local police agencies with concerns.

“We don’t know a lot about him (Singh) other than he was cross-examined during a medical marijuana case trial a few years and there wasn’t anything unusual about that,” Walton said. “If there had been, you would assume someone would have filed with the attorney grievance commission or written a letter … nothing. Until a few days ago.”

Singh was represented in court Wednesday by Matthew Abel of Cannabis Counsel, a group which specializes in marijuana cases in Michigan.

“It’s a strange case but he claims he is innocent of the charges – that he didn’t threaten anyone,” Abel said. “I haven’t had the opportunity to talk to him much about the case but I expect we will be meeting.”

Abel said Singh was subpoenaed to testify in a medical marijuana case “a few years back” and it was his understanding that Singh felt questioning of him by the prosecution went too far.

The charges include offenses in the threat of terrorism, including use of the internet to make the threats, use of a computer to make threats and use of a computer to commit a crime. All of the computer crimes are punishable by 20 years in prison. He was also charged with four counts of ethnic intimidation, a felony with a two-year prison penalty.

Royal Oak police staked out Singh’s apartment in Royal Oak and arrested him without incident Sunday, according to Potbury.

In 2009, Singh established the Greenlite Clinic, a state licensed medical office and walk-in clinic on Maple in Troy that prescribes medical marijuana certifications to qualified patients.

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