Traffic stop leads cops to plants near county line

A traffic stop led authorities to 10,000 to 15,000 marijuana plants growing eight to 10 feet tall near the Muskingum-Perry county line.

Going on a hunch, Perry County Sheriff Randy Barker asked the Bureau Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCI) to check for a growing operation around Township Road 71A.

Working late into the night Monday, deputies with the Muskingum County Sheriff's Office, Perry County Sheriff's Office and BCI took what they believed to be anywhere from 10,000 to 15,000 plants from property owned by American Electric Power (AEP) and state-owned land used for hunting.

The operation was located about a mile in a section of secluded woods off Township Road 71A.

"We took a shot in the dark at this one," Barker said. "I couldn't be tickled more. We've put a hurt on these boys."

Authorities had to use four-wheelers to make their way back into the thickly wooded area, as there were no discernible vehicle trails back to where the plants were found. Heavy equipment was brought in to clear a road to the property.

Officers pulled the plants up, or used machetes to cut them loose. The sounds of them calling out the number count - one, two, three - could be heard all around as they collected 20 plants to each bundle in order to keep track. After each bundle was done it was collected in a truck.

More than 2,000 plants were cleared out of the first lot alone.

BCI officers went around tagging evidence throughout the scene. Aside from the thousands of plants, two large tents and two tents made out of tarps were on the site. Sleeping bags and clothes were in the tents, propane tanks, heaters and cookware were on site and socks and tooth brushes were hanging in trees.

Muskingum County Sheriff Bob Stephenson said the plants were in five plots, all eight to 10 feet tall. The plants were growing and hanging from trees to dry out.

Barker said his office took seven people into custody as a result of the traffic stop Sunday on Porter Run Road and they're being held at the Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail. They're being held on consumption in a motor vehicle and felony possession charges, and Barker said he'll likely pursue federal charges.

Barker said he believes the suspects had been living on the property since mid-April and were using narrow footpaths to get in and out of the property.

He said fingerprints taken from the suspects will be compared to fingerprints found when 6,000 marijuana plants were discovered in a field off of #8 Hollow Road in Harrison Township in early August. No arrests have been made in connection with that bust.

He said a Perry County sheriff's deputy was responding to a domestic call Sunday night on Township Road 71A when a male suspect fled in a sport utility vehicle. Barker said his officer also had reason to believe the vehicle had recently been involved in a hit-skip. The deputy caught up to the SUV on Porter Run Road in Roseville, where Barker said the deputy found the vehicle sitting in the middle of the road.

"He stopped to ask why they stopped and found that the people were intoxicated and smelled marijuana," Barker said.

The suspects were taken into custody and the sport utility vehicle was impounded, however, another vehicle that had parked in front of the sport utility vehicle fled.

"I'm tickled to death we can eradicate these plants," Barker said. "It's hard to say where this was going to go. It could have been going into the streets here, Perry County and all across Ohio and even the U.S. We're taking some serious money here."

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now thats we we keep it to just a few plants per plot hehe!

Fruty bud thanks for sharing... just noticed your location... Tír na nÓg ... I love Into the West, its such a great film!

How the heck long does it take to plant 10,000 - 15,000 plants I would like to know? That sounds more like a full-time job. I wonder if they have health benefits?

wow! are tax dollars are hard at work!

this world of ours is ............

Way to keep patting yourself on the back there osscifer. What a douche. Its a shame that the US puts more marijuana users behind bars than murderer's.

"I'm tickled to death we can eradicate these plants," Barker said. "It's hard to say where this was going to go. It could have been going into the streets here, Perry County and all across Ohio and even the U.S. We're taking some serious money here."

Just from that comment you can tell that he was after the money. I wonder if they ever feel like they waste time for such stupid harmless acts. They are also chopping down nature as well. Barker is probably an obese lazy man or woman seeking a promotion that he or she does not deserve trying to profit off other's misery.

Do we have to hate on the police? Best case scenario, he's either ignorant about mj or he's trying to talk the politically safe line. He scored a big bust, and whatever else that may mean, it is his job. Worst case, he's a true believer and thinks mj is the scourge of society. Either way, he only enforces what the truly nefarious legistlators of this country have decided is right.

I agree, mj being illegal is supremely stupid and that we have fellow growers and tokers serving worse prison terms than rapists and murderers is a travesty, but let's not completely polarize ourselves against LEO's. Hell, I come from a family of almost all law enforcement and guess what? Most of them smoke, or have smoked and all agree that it's absurd that it's illegal. In fact, I've smoked with several retired and active duty lawmen and women from various county, state and yes, even federal agencies. Most of the LEO's I've really talked to agree it should be legalized.

So can we please not be as intolerant as the other side can be? There's bad and good guys on both sides of our common cannabis issue. I'm sorry, I'm just getting tired of seeing the constant blanket (and often offensive and closed-minded) statements about law enforcement officials. Let's just agree that we both know we're on opposite sides of a serious legal game. Sometimes they win, sometimes we win. No need to degrade, insult or malign the other, and least of all assign baseless moral or character judgements on someone you've never met. That'd be like saying someone was a complete idiot/loser/dropout/burnout/moron for smoking pot or something... and yeah, that wouldn't be an unfair stereotypical judgement anything like that.

As the moral and legal minority, we need to try to show people that we are peaceful, respectful and at the very least, not hateful or malicious. I swear, sometimes I think some of you have no idea what kind of spotlight us stoners are under. This is a political fight. We can't win it by acting like those who are supposed to protect us are worth nothing more than loathing, bitterness and ridicule. You can't win an argument with anything less than poise... and snickering and calling someone a fatty over the internet is most definitely not that.

Btw, that LEO gets no money for the bust. "We're taking some serious money here..." means taking serious money away from whoever was financing and running the grow. Either that, or more likely, it was a typo and he said "We're talking some serious money here..."

Sorry for the rant, this has just been seriously getting on my nerves over time. Smoking pot isn't morally wrong, it's just legally problematic. Everyone knows it. It's a risk we run for our passion. You don't have to hate the people who are paid to try to stop it by the people who are afraid to allow it.

well i see we all have differing opinions of leo. i was gunna rant as well but smoked a bowl thought about it an decided it wasnt werth it.

10,000 - 15,000 plants...if they were pollinating each other there should be enough seeds in the ground to start that crop up again by mother nature next spring...am I wrong?