Man Admits To Punching Store Manager, Stealing 'Herbal Potpourri'

A Mentor man admitted to punching a store clerk so he could steal a drug that was marketed as an "herbal potpourri" but is actually a synthetic cannabinoid.

Ailstock, 33, of Mentor, pleaded guilty to robbery Thursday in Lake County Court of Common Pleas.

In September, Ailstock came into the  store and stole a $20 can of Nugz -- a man-made drug that is chemically similar to marijuana. Such drugs were legal at the time but have since become illegal.

When a store employee tried to stop Ailstock, he punched him in the face, Lake County Assistant Prosecutor Charles Cichocki said.

Soon thereafter, an off-duty Mentor-on-the-Lake firefighter spotted Ailstock passed out by the intersection of Lake Shore Boulevard and Thistlewood Drive.

Police were called and they arrested Ailstock.

Ailstock will be sentenced Feb. 27. He faces between two and eight years in prison.

Ailstock had also been charged with felonious assault. As part of a plea deal, that charge was dismissed.