We use cookies for certain features and to improve your experience. See our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy to learn more

Leafly

Shop legal, local weed.

Open
advertise on Leafly
ShopDeliveryDispensariesDealsStrainsBrandsProductsCBDDoctorsCannabis 101Social impact
  • Sign in
  • Create account
  • Strains
  • Shop
  • Shop
  • Delivery
  • Deals
  • Dispensaries
  • CBD Stores
  • Brands
  • Products
  • Learn
  • Cannabis 101
  • News
  • Leafly Learn
  • Science of cannabis
  • Doctors
  • Social impact
  • Lab partners
  • Download the Leafly App
  • Advertise on Leafly
    • Leafly.comUSA flag
    • Leafly.caCanadian flag
    • Leafly.deGerman flag
  • Help
  • News
  • Cannabis 101
  • Growing
  • Strains & products
  • CBD
  • Politics
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science & tech
  • Industry
  • Reports
  • Canada
  • Podcasts
  • Leafly Lists
Politics

Was That Seattle Cannabis Shop Robbery an Inside Job?

Lisa RoughPublished on August 15, 2016 · Last updated July 28, 2020

In a strange twist to an already harrowing tale, the owner of a Seattle cannabis shop that was the target of a robbery and hostage situation last week is now alleging that the incident was perpetrated by one of the company’s own employees.

Late at night on Sunday, Aug. 7, as budtenders at Have a Heart in Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood prepared to close shop, an employee was apparently ambushed while patrolling the perimeter of the store. 

But Ryan Kunkel, owner of the Have a Heart franchise, said he noticed something strange while examining surveillance footage of the incident afterward. 

“When I watched the video, it didn’t look right, you know?” Kunkel told Leafly. “His original story was [that] when he went outside, the perpetrators put a gun in his ribs and walked him in.”

 How a Cannabis Store Manager Foiled Armed Robbers in Seattle

According to Kunkel, however, the video told a different story. “They never touched the guy,” the owner said. “He gets up to the front door, and he’s walking two feet behind them! And then he goes in and it looks like he waves at those guys, like waving them over.”

Kunkel worked with law enforcement and his own private security consultant to investigate further, he said. What he uncovered was troubling. 

The budtender on staff, the only male employee working the night of the incident, had used the name Nyhier Manning when he was hired, Kunkel claims. But as the investigation began, that name was nowhere to be found in public records or on Facebook, he said. A little digging and Kunkel had a breakthrough: The employee was not who he claimed to be.

“We find Sean Sylve,” said Kunkel. “And it turns out Sean Sylve was Facebook buddies with the [alleged] perpetrators, John Stewart and Cameron Patterson.”

According to Kunkel, a scan of Sylve’s phone records conducted by the Seattle Police Department found text messages being exchanged between Sylve and the alleged robbers. The messages, Kunkel said, included profanity directed at the store’s female employees as well as a message that the heist was to go down at 10 p.m. Kunkel concluded that “Nyhier Manning“ was actually Sylve.  

 Courtroom Drama: Bribery, the IRS, and a Cautionary Cannabis Tale

Kunkel said that Sylve quit immediately after the robbery. “The guy split to L.A., right?” he said. But Kunkel had a plan up his sleeve. “I sent him a text and said, ‘Me and my wife want to do something really nice for you, so if you want to come back, we’ll do something at the shop.’”

Shop highly rated dispensaries near you

Showing you dispensaries near
See all dispensaries
  • Loading...
    Loading...Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...Loading...
    Loading...Loading...
  • Loading...
    Loading...Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...Loading...
    Loading...Loading...
  • Loading...
    Loading...Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...Loading...
    Loading...Loading...
  • Loading...
    Loading...Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...Loading...
    Loading...Loading...
  • See all dispensaries
See all dispensaries

Damon Martinez, the Have a Heart store manager who initially thwarted the robbery attempt by catching it on the store's surveillance feed and calling Seattle Police, went a step further. As part of the effort to lure back Sylve, Martinez texted Sylve, Kunkel said, telling him that there was an envelope with cash in it marked “Nyhier Manning.” 

Kunkel alerted authorities to Sylve’s whereabouts upon the man’s return to Seattle, he said. According to police records, Sylve was arrested Thursday at Have a Heart in Greenwood. 

'Security Cows' Will Guard This Hawaiian Cannabis Farm

Header photo courtesy of Have a Heart

Shop highly rated dispensaries near you

Showing you dispensaries near
See all dispensaries
  • Loading...
    Loading...Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...Loading...
    Loading...Loading...
  • Loading...
    Loading...Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...Loading...
    Loading...Loading...
  • Loading...
    Loading...Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...Loading...
    Loading...Loading...
  • Loading...
    Loading...Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...Loading...
    Loading...Loading...
  • See all dispensaries
See all dispensaries
dispensariesseattlesecurityWashington
Lisa Rough
Lisa Rough
Lisa is a former associate editor at Leafly, where she specialized in legislative cannabis policy and industry topics.
View Lisa Rough's articles

The latest in Politics

  • How US import tariffs are impacting cannabis prices and products image
    How US import tariffs are impacting cannabis prices and products
    Leafly Staff
  • Ohioans must activate to defend cannabis freedoms from lawmakers image
    Ohioans must activate to defend cannabis freedoms from lawmakers
    David Downs
  • Montanans must activate to protect legalization in 2025 image
    Montanans must activate to protect legalization in 2025
    David Downs
  • Analysis: Don’t hold your breath for legalization under Trump 2.0 image
    Analysis: Don’t hold your breath for legalization under Trump 2.0
    David Downs
Get good reads, local deals, and strain spotlights delivered right to your inbox.

By providing us with your email address, you agree to Leafly's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.



Stay In Touch

Receive updates on new products, special offers, and industry news.

Something went wrong, please try again.

By providing us with your email address, you agree to Leafly’s Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Leafly mobile app
Get high for less.
Download the Leafly app.
Download Leafly: Marijuana Reviews on the App StoreDownload Leafly Marijuana Reviews on Google Play

Business Solutions
  • List your store
  • List your CBD store
  • List your brand
  • List your practice
  • Business log in

About Leafly
  • About us
  • Careers
  • Newsroom
  • Investor relations
  • Contact us
  • FAQs
  • Accessibility

Dispensaries in
  • Los Angeles
  • Seattle
  • Portland
  • San Francisco
  • Toronto
  • Detroit

Privacy & Terms
  • Terms of use
  • Commercial terms of use
  • Privacy policy
  • Do not sell my personal information

* Statements made on this website have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Information provided by this website or this company is not a substitute for individual medical advice.


© 2025 Leafly, LLC
Leafly and the Leafly logo are registered trademarks of Leafly, LLC. All Rights Reserved.