John Schroyer
The head of Canadian marijuana company Ascend Wellness Holdings (CSE: AAWH.U) (OTCQX: AAWH) was arrested in Florida on Saturday and charged with battery.
In a statement, Ascend said only that it’s “aware of allegations … regarding a domestic-related misdemeanor” against CEO Abner Kurtin, and that the company is conducting its own investigation. The business declined to comment further.
Ascend’s stock price fell 10% when the news came out but has since rebounded.
According to the arrest affidavit, the 55-year-old Kurtin was arrested in Miami Beach at 4701 Meridian Ave., the address of the Ritz-Carlton Residences, after a witness saw Kurtin “striking” his girlfriend, Savannah Rose Siejka, while they were parked in a car.
Abner Kurtin - Arrest Affidavit
The witness “stated she observed Kurtin … grabbing her head and striking it against the dashboard of the vehicle,” according to the affidavit.
The witness said she also saw Siejka with her hands raised, “trying to avoid getting hit by Kurtin.”
When police officers tracked the pair down later that evening, Siejka told them there had been a “verbal altercation” but that “she was fine and nothing else happened.” Officers reported observing a “small bump” on her forehead, which Siejka said was a pimple, and also a second small bump to her upper left eye.
Kurtin denied to police that he had physically assaulted Siejka, according to the affidavit, but said she had tried to grab his phone and he “pushed her arm away.”
Kurtin was arrested based on the witness statement and the marks officers observed on Siejka’s head.
A hearing is scheduled for Sept. 30, according to Miami Dade County Clerk records.
