DEPUTIES CONFISCATE 1,400 MARIJUANA PLANTS IN BUSTS

Two separate marijuana busts conducted Friday by the Pike County Sheriff's
De-partment resulted in the confiscation of more than 1,400 plants,
officials say. Sheriff Charles "Fuzzy" Keesee said the larger haul
originated with an investigation of a four-wheeler that had been parked
along a rural county road. Keesee said when deputies arrived at the
location where the ATV was parked, a juvenile came down out of the hills.
Dep-uties detected "a strong smell of marijuana" on the teen-ager, Keesee
said, and subsequently found a joint in the juvenile's possession. When
deputies drove the juvenile to his residence - at Road Creek Road near
Elk-horn City - they again detected a strong smell of marijuana, this time
coming from inside the teen's mobile home. Once inside, deputies discovered
a "sophisticated" indoor growing operation with about 1,200 marijuana
plants in various stages of growth. More plants were confiscated outside
the mobile home and in a nearby storage building, along with related
growing materials - from lights and fertilizer to scales and books on how
to grow marijuana. Bert Hatfield, director of the sheriff's department's
Drug Task Force, said the plants had an estimated street value of about
$180,000. Deputies later arrested the teen's mother, Jeanette Lindeman, 39,
and another occupant of the mobile home, Clifton Machniak, 41. Both were
charged with cultivating and trafficking in marijuana and lodged in the
Pike County Detention Center. "This is an ongoing battle," Keesee said
yesterday. "Our goal is to eradicate Pike County of this drug problem. I
hope we reach that goal someday." Hatfield echoed the sheriff's diligence.

"It never stops," he said. Deputies Chris Phillips and Bob Wright were
involved in the confiscation at the mobile home, Hatfield said. A second
bust - at Lovers Lane near McCarr - resulted from a tip, Keesee said. He
said deputies found about 200 plants in an open field. No arrests have been
made in that case, Keesee said, but an investigation is continuing.
Deputies who participated in this bust included Johnny Burgraff, Dave
Smith, David Hatfield, Ron Griffith and John Coleman. Keesee said all the
plants from the two raids would be destroyed. "We'd appreciate any citizens
that have information about drug activity to call the sheriff's
department," he said.