MORE MARIJUANA SPOTTED FROM THE SKY

With 652 plants seized Friday, the Warren County Sheriff's Department is
ahead of pace to eclipse its own record for a single marijuana eradication
season. According to Sheriff Jackie Matheny, the plant total for the season
stands at 3,001, only 900 plants short of the record 3,900 plants plucked
from area fields in 1999. This year's number is well ahead of the
approximately 2,400 plants harvested last year.

"We're finding quite a bit this year," Matheny said. "We've done a huge lot
already, more than we expected."

Matheny said he wonders if rumors the department would run out of money to
fly its helicopters all season had an impact on how much marijuana was planted.

"Really, we haven't been finding a whole lot over the past few years, but
now, all of a sudden, we're getting quite a bit every time we go out,"
Matheny said. "It makes me curious if some folks thought we wouldn't be
able to fly all season and decided to get back into the local growing
business."

Earlier in the year, Matheny had serious doubts the team could fly all
season due to budget concerns. The flying missions are funded solely from
drug fund money gained through drugs fines and drug forfeitures. Due to
other expenditures being drawn from the fund, Matheny publicly announced he
was unsure the team could fly an entire season, which usually runs from May
through October. However, Matheny recently revealed there is money in the
budget to continue the flying throughout the season.

"What ever the reason, we're finding it everywhere this year," Matheny said.

The sheriff's department has been flying marijuana eradication missions
since 1997 when the federal government gave the pair of helicopters to the
county for use in drug enforcement.

The most recent seizures Friday came in the Harrison Ferry-Rocky River
areas. The seizures included some six-foot-tall plants along with numerous
seedling plants, found in potting baskets ready to be planted in an
isolated field.

While happy to find the plants, Matheny admitted his ultimate goal is to
drive marijuana growers out of the county by making the job too risky.

"We can't really sit on the fields because it takes too long and takes too
much manpower, but we sure can get their dope and that means a lot of
dollars out of their pockets," Matheny said. "A lot of growers will not
only sell it but they'll also trade it for other drugs. By getting their
fields, we take that option away."