Pot plants with value of over $100,000 destroyed | Crime

The Ohio County Sheriff's Office seized marijuana plants worth well into six figures on Tuesday.  The pot plants were found in a wooded area in the southern part of the county.

A couple weeks ago, the sheriff’s office received a tip that marijuana was being grown in a wooded area off of Cool Springs Road. After investigating, law enforcement found over 100 plants, some of them six feet high.

"Someone early on had tended to these things, and with the rain we've got recently, they've shot up. We're estimating somewhere between $100,000 and $200,000," said Sheriff David Thompson.

Sheriff Thompson says his deputies watched the area for a while to try to catch who was growing the pot.

"It's got to a point now because of the resources it's time for us to go ahead and cut it before they come in here and cultivate it," Sheriff Thompson said.

"We certainly don't want to give anyone the opportunity to do that. We also got into the community. Tried to identify individuals who may in the past been responsible for these type of things," said Ohio County Detective Doug Esther.

On Tuesday, Thompson and other law enforcement members cut down the marijuana plants.

"Marijuana is still probably the number one drug of use in Ohio County," Detective Esther said.

The plants were taken to the sheriff's office for evidence.

"We're going to destroy it the proper way which it's normally destroyed and that's burn it. Now that the cultivating season is almost over, we can kind of put ourselves at rest on this part of it and concentrate on some other things," Sheriff Thompson said. 

The sheriff's office tells 14 News just because they found the dope, that doesn't mean they'll stop pursuing who is responsible for it.