Rowland Leroy Mitchell

     One person was arrested yesterday, September 7th, during the annual marijuana eradication operation in this area that is jointly conducted by the Army National Guard, the U. S. Drug Enforcement Agency, the 14th Judicial District Drug Task Force, the Arkansas Game and Fish, and the Sheriff’s Office.  These operations are conducted through the state each year.

     During this operation, helicopter spotters located a patch of cultivated marijuana plants on the property at 30 Posey Trail in Midway, Arkansas.  These plants were found in a raised bed with a water tank used as a water source for the plants.  As ground officers were headed to the location, a man was observed from the air to be chopping down and attempting to destroy the plants.  The helicopter was landed nearby, and the man was taken into custody.  The precise number of plants is undetermined as they had been chopped into pieces by the time they were seized. The man was identified as 52 year old ROWLAND LEROY MITCHELL.

     When additional officers arrived, they found a portable greenhouse inside the residence that is used for starting marijuana plants indoors.  A small amount of loose, processed marijuana was also found. 

     ROWLAND LEROY MITCHELL was taken to the Baxter County Detention Center where he was booked on charges of:

Manufacture of Schedule VI Controlled Substance – Felony
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia – Felony
Tampering with Physical Evidence – Felony
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia – Misdemeanor

     MITCHELL was released from jail after posting $2,500 bond.  He will appear in the Baxter County Circuit Court to answer the charges on September 14th.

/s/ John F. Montgomery,
Baxter County Sheriff