ELDERLY BROTHERS WILL NOT STAND TRIAL FOR MARIJUANA GROWING

PORT WASHINGTON, Wis. (AP) -- Two brothers, ages 80 and 74, will
avoid going to trial on charges they operated one of Wisconsin' s
largest marijuana growing operations.

Eugene A. Burmesch, 80, on Wednesday pleaded guilty to felony charges
that he manufactured marijuana and maintaining a drug manufacturing
place. His brother, David W. Burmesch, 74, pleaded no contest to the
same charges.

Ozaukee County District Attorney Sandy Williams dropped charges of
possession with intent to sell in exchange for the pleas.

A trial had been scheduled to start Thursday. The brothers each faced
up to 30 years in prison and $200, 000 in fines if they had been
convicted on the original felony charges. The new charges carry a
maximum of 17 years in prison.

A Department of Justice agent testified at a preliminary hearing in
November that he and others found 98.5 pounds of packaged marijuana
hanging from the ceiling of a shed on the Burmesch farm in the Town
of Belgium during a Sept. 1 raid.

David Burmesch told officers at the time of his arrest he had been
growing marijuana for 20 to 25 years because he needed money to
support a developmentally disabled son, according to a criminal
complaint.

Agents found nearly 500 plants growing in a field surrounded by a
10-foot-high metal fence that agents had to scale to see what was
growing.

David Burmesch is to be sentenced June 19, and his brother will be
sentenced June 28.