Greg Brotherton woke at 3 a.m. on Feb. 15 to the phone call that every small-business owner dreads.
His alarm company let him know that Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office deputies were waiting at …
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Masked suspects caught on surveillance camera Feb. 15 as they burglarized Sea Change Cannabis in Discovery Bay. Screencap courtesy of Greg Brotherton
Greg Brotherton woke at 3 a.m. on Feb. 15 to the phone call that every small-business owner dreads.
His alarm company let him know that Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office deputies were waiting at his store, which had been burglarized.
Sea Change Cannabis, a one-room business at 282332 U.S. Highway 101 in Discovery Bay, was the first recreational marijuana store to open in Jefferson County, in 2014.
Brotherton, who has been nominated for a Young Professional of the Year award this year, said he used its profits to help bankroll the Discovery Bay Village Store, Disco Bay Detour Bar (which has been used for an all-ages music venue) and HiYu Audio, in addition to donating to schools and nonprofits.
With the theft of an estimated $10,000 in inventory, including several pounds of marijuana buds, concentrate and pipes, Brotherton said it could prove difficult to retain the 25 employees of his four businesses.
As of Tuesday, Feb. 21, there were no suspects in custody, according to Detective Brett Anglin, who is leading the investigation.
“Every one of the packages they stole has a bar code and our brand name on it, to comply with state laws, so we’ll be posted those bar codes on our [web]site, to make them more traceable,” Brotherton said. “Obviously, we’ll be looking into revising our security protocols as well.”
Brotherton noted that his product was not insurable “due to its small size.”
“There’s a perception that folks in our line of business are swimming in cash,” Brotherton said. “The fact is that we’ve already had to borrow money just to keep the chain open.”
To that end, Brotherton thanked Green Acres Pharms and Green Envy for their aid in getting product back on Sea Change’s shelves within the shortest time they could muster.
“We encourage our customers to come out, because that’s the only way we’re going to make it through this,” Brotherton said. “I had always hoped that our business would help destigmatize marijuana by providing a fun, family-friendly shop, but this kind of takes us backwards.”
Based on surveillance footage, it appears that more than one person was involved.
Anyone with information about the burglary can contact the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office at 385-3831 and ask for Anglin. See more video shots of the suspects by going to
seachangecanna.biz.
