NEIGHBORS SMELL SMOKE, POLICE FIND POT

MENDOTA HEIGHTS, Minn. (AP) When neighbors in this Twin Cities suburb
smelled a strange smoke in the air, they followed their noses to a chimney
at a floral shop. But the owner wasn't burning wood in his fireplace.

Instead, police say Robert C. Larson, 62, was burning marijuana stems and
leaves in his residence, which is part of Larson's Suburban Greenhouses.

Larson was charged Thursday with felony production of marijuana.

``They followed their nose to a home,'' Dakota County Sheriff Don
Gudmundson said of the neighbors. ``A man came to the door. He admitted he
was in fact burning stalks and stems of marijuana plants.''

When police arrived with a search warrant, they found leaves and stems
burning in the fireplace. Next to it was a large plastic bag with leaves
and stems. They also found several bags of marijuana, growing equipment and
a scale, according to Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom. In a nearby
chicken coop, police found 122 marijuana plants.

Backstrom said the street value was more than $10,000.

Normally, marijuana growers sell the leaves and flower tops and dispose of
the stems and stalks, but Gudmundson said he had never seen a case quite
like this.

``That's a new one, burning in a fireplace,'' Gudmundson said. ``That's a
pretty strong odor.''

Bail was set at $7,500. Larson's next court appearance was set for Jan. 12.