Owners of Controversial Ashland Head Shop Arrested

ASHLAND, Wis. - First the feds shut down Last Place on Earth for selling synthetics and now they have their eyes on J.C. Moon, a retail shop located in the heart of Ashland’s downtown. "If you sell poison in a community you have to realize there's going to be some ramifications," said Capt. Jim Gregoire, with the Ashland Police Department. Officials tell FOX 21 products like synthetic marijuana that used to be sold out of J.C. Moon have strained Ashland’s Police Department, emergency rooms and destroyed lives. "We see the consequences here and this is not something the community wants," Ashland Mayor Deb Lewis said."When you have a young man barking like a dog at cars on the street and literally is serious about his barking not knowing why he was barking, it was bizarre," said Capt. Gregoire.What's even more strange is the way the substance was being sold impeded legal action."They weren't selling it as a human consumption drug, they were claiming it was potpourri," said Capt. Gregoire. “They said they used it at home, it smells good." But findings of a joint investigation that lasted for more than a year involving local law enforcement, the IRS and other agencies now have the shop's owners facing major prison time."This is an example that the police are doing something," said Capt. Gregoire. “We just can't talk about it, it would be illogical for us to talk about it." J.C. Moon owners 70-year-old John Morrison and 57-year-old Anna Novak were arrested earlier this week in Fort Lauderdale, Florida after their indictment."Shutting down that ability to sell that synthetic drug on Main Street was a very important thing for our community," said Lewis. The pair faces 35 criminal charges including conspiring to distribute synthetics, tax fraud and money laundering."I could not be more pleased with this indictment," said Capt. Gregoire. “I could not be more pleased with everybody that worked on it." If convicted, the shop's owners could receive a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison per charge. Morrison and Novak are out on bail with a court appearance set for Jan. 6 in Madison. J.C. Moon is still open. Staff there declined to comment.