Marijuana discovery a new record

By DUANE SHERRILL / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

Sheriff Jackie Matheny, left, admires the record haul of 6,821 marijuana plants. Joining him around the plants are, from left, Al Stotts, John Bratten, John Black and Danice Taylor. (Charles W. Johnson photo)

Sheriff’s officers surpassed their season record in just one day, finding a record 6,821 marijuana plants in a single corn field near Centertown Thursday morning.

“At maturity, these plants would be worth millions,” said Chief Deputy Danice Taylor. “The most we’ve found in a season before was just over 4,000 plants. This is by far our biggest hit and puts us way over the prior record by thousands of plants. At maturity, plants go for about $1,500 apiece.”

The plants found Thursday were discovered before they matured, with most standing anywhere from 10 inches to three feet in height. Lawmen who worked with the ground crew noted the biggest difficulty in harvesting the field was counting the numerous plants.

The plants were spotted from the air aboard the sheriff’s department helicopter as it conducted a routine flying mission over the Centertown area Thursday. Taylor said the helicopter crew’s attention was grabbed when they saw a large square cut into a corn field.

“It was pretty obvious,” Taylor said. “Whoever planted it didn’t bother to plant it amongst the rows, but instead just cut a big square out in the middle of the field. We’d gotten a field in the vicinity a few years before.”

While marijuana cultivators have tried to hide their patches better since the county began flying missions in 1997, Taylor said there are still some who are obvious when it comes to growing the illegal narcotic.

In one recent case, Taylor pointed to some growers who used camouflage netting above their plants in hopes of hiding them from aerial detection. However, the plan was foiled, Taylor noted, when the dry weather, earlier in the season, turned the surrounding plant life brown.

The green camouflage netting then stood out like a beacon from the air among the surrounding brown foliage, making it an easy find for authorities.

“This was a big one,” Taylor said. “It certainly put a big dent in someone’s business.”

This season’s plant count, which was running lower than normal due to the dry weather, has now mushroomed to 7,842. Flying missions normally continue until September, meaning lawmen could surpass the 10,000 plant level this season.