Pubdate: Tue, 11 Oct 2005
Source: Sun-Times, The (AR)
Copyright: 2005 The Sun Times
Contact:  http://www.thesuntimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1559
Author: Louis Short, Sun-Times Staff
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)

POT SEARCH TURNS HOT

A marijuana eradication attempt Wednesday was a real barnburner for 
members of the Cleburne County Sheriff's Department, Van Buren County 
Sheriff's Department, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, and Greers 
Ferry Police Department.

After several hours of searching, officers found several marijuana 
plants in a barn and the home at 4110 Libby Road (Hwy 337). A 
helicopter search crew of two officers located the plants in the open 
barn during a flyover of the property.

The crew landed the chopper next to the barn in an attempt to find a 
resident of the home. During the attempted contact of a resident, 
someone lit the barn on fire, burning most everything inside. The 
chopper, a $100,000 machine, was sitting next to the barn and was 
nearly burned before the pilot could retreat.

More officers arrived on the scene to find the barn completely 
destroyed. Greers Ferry Canine Officer Matt Wilborn was one of the 
officers aboard the chopper and was able to run inside the burning 
structure and pull one six-foot tall plant from the ground before 
everything was engulfed. "I saw 25 to 30 plants inside the barn 
before it was burned," he said. "I was only able to grab one plant. 
It was getting too hot."

Once the fire was extinguished, officers looked to where the plants 
were spotted to find that about a half dozen plants had survived the 
blaze. Tin from the roof had fallen over the plants, protecting them 
from the flames.

Officers searched another open barn on the property to find two trash 
bags that contained marijuana plants. A woman was found at the home 
and denied knowing anything about the drugs.

After receiving permission to search the home, additional plants were 
found, along with six long guns. Officers reported retrieving 
approximately 33 plants from the property. The male subject 
authorities were searching for, Lucien Holland, 52, was not located.

The Cleburne County Sheriff's Department is filing charges against 
Holland for manufacturing a controlled substance, marijuana, a class 
"C" felony. Since Holland is a convicted felon, he is also being 
charged with felon in possession of a firearm, a class "B" felony.

Officers are not 100 percent sure who set the blaze. Narcotics 
Officer Johnny Sowell said, "This is the first time in my career that 
someone has set a structure on fire trying to hide the evidence."

The Cleburne County Sheriff's Department received information 
Wednesday evening that Holland would turn himself in once the 
warrants were issued.
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MAP posted-by: Elizabeth Wehrman