The Associated Press reported last week that a couple was held for several hours, handcuffed, in a police car when local police mistook their hibiscus plants for cannabis.
Edward, 69, and Audrey, 66, Cramer told AP that the tried to convince the police that the plants were ordinary shrubbery, even offering to show them online. In addition, Mrs. Cramer was only partially dressed when the police arrived at their home and was not allowed to put on pants before being handcuffed and placed in a cruiser. Officers were reportedly armed with assault rifles.
An insurance agent who was there to file a claim for a fallen tree on their property reported the couple to the police. Suspicious of the shrubs, he sent photos to the police, prompting the action. The couple has files suit against Nationwide Insurance and the local Buffalo Township police department for being unlawfully detained.
