Man tries to buy 12-year-old's fish with fake pot, police say

A Chatham-Kent man has been charged with assault after allegedly trying to trade fake pot to a 12-year-old boy in exchange for a pet fish and hitting him when the deal fell through.

The man allegedly struck the boy in the head after trying to pass a bag of oregano off as a bag of marijuana, according to police.

The boy went to the man's house Saturday for a planned meeting where the boy was going to sell the man a fish. The man tried to pay for the fish with a bag of what he claimed to be weed, but the boy realized it was actually a bag of dried spices.

The boy confronted the man and was struck in the head, according to a news release from Chatham-Kent police.

The man will appear in court Feb. 16.