Sheriff's Investigators today seized and removed 92 marijuana plants of various sizes from a wooded area near the Industrial Park area in Midway.  The Sheriff's Office first discovered the marijuana plants on August 7th when flying over the area in the Sheriff's helicopter while looking for stolen equipment that may have been hidden in the woods.

     Although the stolen equipment was not found, deputies did spot several marijuana plants from the helicopter.  Sheriff's Investigators walked into the area to gather additional information.  The area had been under surveillance, but no suspects were developed.

     This afternoon, it was decided to seize the plants and remove them from the wooded area.  The Sheriff's Office helicopter worked in conjunction with ground personnel to bundle the marijuana plants and air lift them from the wooded area to the nearby roadway.  They were then loaded on Sheriff's Department trailer and brought back to the Sheriff's Office.  The marijuana plants will be destroyed once they have been properly catalogued and a court order for destruction is obtained.  The plants would have a street value of approximately $92,000.

     The Sheriff's Office plans to continue using the helicopter to search for marijuana in various areas of the County in the coming weeks.

/s/ John F. Montgomery,
Baxter County Sheriff