MARIJUANA SUSPECT ARRESTED AFTER TIP

Noblesville -- A Noblesville man who once showed his marijuana plants on
national TV was arrested Tuesday and charged with growing marijuana in a
crawl space at his South Harbour home.

Douglas Keenan, 40, was arrested at 6 a.m. and charged with possession of
marijuana over 30 grams, possession of paraphernalia and maintaining a
common nuisance.

He was held in the Hamilton County Jail on $12,500 bond.

Indiana State Police said they had received a tip that Keenan was growing
marijuana in his home, at 505 Tamarack Lane.

When police arrived at the home with a search warrant, Keenan would not
tell them where the marijuana was located, said State Trooper Chris Lambert.

Troopers went downstairs and found the operation in the crawl space behind
a plywood board, police said.

About two dozen marijuana plants were hanging from joists, said Trooper
Larry Antic of the Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Team.

A dehumidifier and growing lights on tracks were found in the crawl space,
police said.

Also, the crawl space had been dug out by hand to increase its depth to
provide more room for the operation, police said.

Keenan is known as an activist for the legalization of marijuana, saying it
worked for him when he battled testicular cancer.

In April 1998, Keenan appeared on a PBS "Frontline" program titled,
"Busted: America's War on Marijuana." In it, he showed off a handful of
marijuana plants in his home. He said he dismantled his growing operation,
knowing his name and face would be used on the show.

The day after the program aired, local police obtained a search warrant and
raided his home, finding a small amount of marijuana.

Keenan and his wife at the time, Theresa, were charged with possession of
less than 30 grams of marijuana, a misdemeanor, and a felony charge of
maintaining a common nuisance. He spent 77 days in jail.

During Tuesday's arrest, Keenan made no reference to using the marijuana
for medicinal purposes, Lambert said. Nor would it have affected the
arrest, he said.

"In Indiana, it doesn't make any difference. We don't have any laws that
just pertain to medicinal marijuana," Lambert said.