In a ginormous bust, state and local officials seized 4,400 marijuana plants from a garden behind a guy’s house just outside of Scottsville, Rob Seal reports in today’s Progress. Gary Peck, 51, had a patch of bamboo with a 10′ by 10′ area carved out in the middle to grow the plants. I figure that’s 3.2 square inches per plant, or 1.8″ by 1.8″ — I wish I could grow things in my garden at that density. Peck has been charged with manufacturing with intent to distribute. Police are carefully drying it to…uh…preserve it.
News and meta-news about Charlottesville, VA, since 2001.
Sideblog
Police announced this afternoon that their investigation into what was initially believed to be a fatal fire on Rugby Avenue is now a homicide investigation. #
The Virginia Supreme Court has denied George Huguely’s appeal. His second-degree murder conviction will stand, WRIC reports. #
In a carefully worded story, and not citing specific sources, WTVR reports that forensic evidence belonging to Jesse Matthew Jr., the main suspect in the disappearance of Hannah Graham, matches forensic evidence collected during the investigation of Morgan Harrington’s 2009 murder. #
In the wake of Hannah Graham’s disappearance, and the evidence that came from private security footage, city officials are revisiting the question of installing security cameras on the downtown mall. #
Both Charlottesville Registrar Sheri Iachetta and former Electoral Board member Stephanie Commander have turned themselves in to the police on
foursix and four felony counts of embezzlement, respectively. #Ten years ago, the National Institutes of Health budget doubled and schools like the University of Virginia built massive new research facilities. A decade later, those buildings remain largely underutilized. NPR visits UVA in this story on the effect of federal binge and spurge spending in the sciences. #
In 2012, Council approved a new student housing complex on West Main—now some council members are questioning whether what they were shown matches what was built. #
The Architectural Review Board has approved a bike-themed mural on West Market, below the McGuffey Art Center, although at least one member expressed concerns that it might look like the bicyclists were riding away from Charlottesville’s downtown. #
City Police Chief Tim Longo is meeting with city leaders to work on protocols regarding the use of military surplus police weapons in Charlottesville. #
A 100-year-old Colonnades resident received military honors for her service in the WWII Women’s Army Corps #
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The article also claims that some of the plants were nine feet tall. Certainly pot can grow to be nine feet tall, but how all of this fit into 100 sq. ft. is an interesting question. My guess is that part of the are was a seedbed for germinating plants, and that the cops are counting in anything green they scratched up anywhere near there. There’s an impetus to try to “find” as many plants as possible.
Well, I certainly feel much, much, much safer now. (sigh)
Yea, the numbers don’t really add up, do they? I’ve about 20 basil plants in my garden that are positively choked for space in their 5 foot by 5 foot setting.
This is a good example of the way in which the system is gamed – I’d bet quite a lot of these are seedlings with no street value whatsoever.
I’m surprised they aren’t trying to weight the dirt root balls to make the weight of the seizure even bigger.
That last bit about checking the drying plants made me laugh.
There was no mention of the THC content of the plants. Could it be similar to the shwag that grows in WV, which has little or no THC? Of course, I guess that doesn’t really matter to a judge.
Especially because they would probably bust you on drug charges for growing hemp… gotta love the war on drugs and the ludicrous laws that it created for our “protection”.
Hemp got tossed out many decades ago in the ‘reefer madness’ lunacy launched by W.R. Hearst. It seems he had bought a bunch of timberland and someone developed a way to make paper out of hemp. His investment was going to be compromised, so he used his newspapers etc to get it all outlawed. It was briefly legal to grow hemp during WWII (desperately needed for ships’ ropes), but our laws are still protecting a dead man’s investments.