EX-TEACHER ADMITS GROWING MARIJUANA

A former Oak Creek High School teacher pleaded guilty Tuesday to
charges that he grew marijuana in an elaborate setup in the basement
of his Franklin home.

Paul Langhoff Soik pleaded guilty to two counts after abandoning his
bid to get the case thrown out of court by contending that his
estranged wife was involved in the tip that led police to his marijuana.

Soik, through his attorneys Martin E. Kohler and John C. Thomure Jr.,
contended in a pretrial motion they withdrew Tuesday that Soik's
estranged wife gave a videotape depicting his basement marijuana setup
to a "concerned citizen" who subsequently provided it to police.

The tape was used by police to get a search warrant for Soik's home,
and the December raid yielded the marijuana plants that became the
basis for the case against Soik.

Soik and his lawyers contended in their motion that any information
his estranged wife had about his marijuana operation was "privileged"
because she learned it while married to him. Thus, any information
from her was improperly used by police, they contended.

Paul Soik's lawyers withdrew the motion after a plea bargain was
reached with the district attorney's office.

Soik, 31, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of keeping a drug house
and a misdemeanor charge of possession of marijuana. The charges carry
jail terms totaling up to 18 months.

Soik, who formerly taught computer science, originally was charged
with manufacturing a controlled substance, a felony that carries a
prison term of up to three years.

Assistant District Attorney John Stoiber said in court Tuesday that he
will recommend a jail term of seven months and a fine of $300 when
Soik is sentenced in April.

Soik was charged in a criminal complaint that says his system included
a carbon dioxide generator to help the plants grow, a climate
controller and "a watering tub with floats."

The criminal complaint says that marijuana appeared to have been
harvested from some of the plants grown in Soik's basement and that
officers found more than 1 1/2 pounds of harvested marijuana in
several areas of the basement and bathroom.

When he was questioned later by police, Soik admitted that the
marijuana was his and indicated it was his first "grow," according to
the complaint.

Soik said he bought the seeds from a "source" and the equipment from a
store in Waukesha County, the complaint says.