Several members of the same family are facing felony drug charges and child-endangerment charges after police raided their property just south of Cottage Grove, Oregon, and accused them of having a large marijuana growing operation.
The 77-year-old father of the family pleaded not guilty late last week to felony charges stemming from last summer's raid of the 40-acre property he owns with his daughter. She and her husband both pleaded not guilty to charges of possessing, manufacturing and delivering marijuana; several counts of first-degree child neglect; and endangering the welfare of a minor.
The Aug. 31 raid yielded about 400 marijuana plants and more than $20,000 in cash. Police also raided the home of the man's son, who was fatally shot in January in what authorities suspect was a drug-related crime. Alleging they found pot plants at that home, too, police said they suspected the son was in charge of the growing operation at his father's house. But the father has insisted it was his daughter and her husband who were in control of it.
A search warrant affidavit backs up the father's claim that the 40-acre property had been used as a registered growing operation for 10 medical marijuana patients. State law allows six mature plants and 18 immature plants for each patient, as well as 1.5 pounds of useable marijuana. The daughter's husband and his brother are also facing charges of methamphetamine possession, and the husband was accused of possessing psychedelic mushrooms on the day of the raid. None of the family members is required to stay in jail while their court cases are pending.
It's rather unusual for multiple family members to face drug charges simultaneously, but the connections have likely helped police investigate the individual cases. It might behoove the family members to stick together and avoid providing conflicting information to authorities, which could threaten each of their cases. As they move forward, it will be interesting to see if investigators try to use information gathered from each of the suspects to bolster each other's charges.
Source: The Register-Guard, "Family accused in alleged pot operation," Jack Moran, March 30, 2012
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