MAN JAILED AFTER 580 MARIJUANA PLANTS SEIZED

West Bend - A 20-year-old man was being held Wednesday in the Washington
County Jail, awaiting charges in connection with the seizure of 580
marijuana plants, authorities said.

It was the second large drug bust in the area in a week. On July 30, Alan
L. Bernitt, 51, was arrested in the Town of Fredonia after authorities say
they found 358 marijuana plants at his residence.

The 20-year-old man in Washington County custody was arrested Tuesday just
hours before he was to begin serving an eight-month jail sentence for his
conviction July 27 on possession of marijuana.

The Washington County Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Enforcement Group arrested
the man after he was seen entering a field on Wildlife Drive in the Town of
Addison. The man returned to his car after harvesting a small amount of
marijuana, reports say.

The patch was well-known, according to Lt. Bob Konstanz.

"People were making sure it was growing," he said. "It appeared that
several individuals were cultivating it. It didn't get there by happenstance."

Konstanz said investigators were looking for a handful of other people
believed to have been involved.

Some of the plants in the Wildlife Drive field were 4 to 5 feet tall, he
said. Konstanz did not estimate how much marijuana could have been
harvested from the plants.

"Statistics say that one healthy, vibrant marijuana plant can yield up to
one pound of smokable product," he said.

Members of the drug unit heard about the field and began monitoring traffic
in the area, he said.

Harvest time is nearing, Konstanz said.

"People will be tending to their plants, especially in these dry
conditions," he said. "They could even be watering them."

Konstanz urged residents to be vigilant.

"If you see a lot of cars in an unusual spot, anything like that, get in
contact with us and we can look into it," he said.