Elk County Sheriff's Office destroys marijuana plants

[Janet Harrington]

In the Independence Daily Reporter an article about Elk County Sheriff's Office destroying 4,000 marijuana plants made the front page. Good job, sheriff's office. This agency worked from 3:00 a.m. Wednesday until 4 p.m. eradicating these plants that were obviously cultivated and were being tended by someone.

What I find very nice is that we got some news covereage. Maybe, just maybe this will detour someone else from planting anything in our county.

Here's the article word-for-word for those of you who do not get the paper.

MARIJUANA PLANTS DESTROYED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT IN ELK CO. By Allen Smith, Staff Writer, published on Thursday, July 28, 2011, in the Independence Daily Reporter.

Nearly a dozen law enforcement agencies convered on a field about a quarter of a mile west of K-99 in Elk County and set fire to just under 4,000 marijuana plants that were growing there.

Elk County Sheriff Doug Hanks said late Wednesday afternoon his department had received a tip sometime last year abut the plants growing in the field on Turkey Road in Elk County and officers of several agencies have been keeping an eye of the field.

"We have not been lucky enough to catch anyone in the field, but the marijuana has been harvested recently," Hanks said.

In addition to the plants Hanks said some drying tables, some furniture and some "pretty crude shelter" was found at the scene today.

"We took it all out, he said. "We had a big fire burning and got rid of all that marijuana.

"The bad part is we weren't able to make any arrests and we don't know who the stuff belonged to," Hanks said.

He said the extrication of the plants began about 3:30 a.m. Wednesday and concluded around 4 p.m.

Hanks said he did not know how much the marijuana would have been worth on the street.

Besides the Elk County Sheriff's Department, other agencies involved in the bust on Wednesday included: the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Agency, ICE, Kansas Wildlife and Parks, Greenwood, Cowley and Chautauqua County Sheriff's Departments, Neodesha Police Department, the Kansas National Guard and the Kansas Highway Patrol provided helicopters for the effort.

In addition, Hanks said he had Eagle Med out of Wichita at the scene, along with the Elk County Emergency Medical Service personnel, the Elk County Rural Fire Department and the Elk County Road and Bridge Department provided a truck and front end loader.

Hanks encouraged Elk County residents to be on the lookout for suspicious activity that could be drug related and call his department at (620) 374-2108.

[Janet Harrington]

Teresa, remove this post as I saw where it was being discussed on the "Look what the wind blew in..." and I copied and pasted it over there. Thanks.

[srkruzich]

ROTFL  oooook.  Its a drop in the bucket.    What a waste of time too.  Why aren't they going after the real money making meth manufactureres.  Shrug......  Oh well.

[Diane Amberg]

How about doing both? That's their job too. Illegal is illegal. Oh, Steve was that yours? Sorry! Poke,poke.

[Mom70x7]

Elk County Sheriff Doug Hanks said late Wednesday afternoon his department had received a tip sometime last year abut the plants growing in the field on Turkey Road in Elk County and officers of several agencies have been keeping an eye of the field.

"We have not been lucky enough to catch anyone in the field, but the marijuana has been harvested recently," Hanks said.

I'm glad, I'm truly glad, that they found and destroyed the plants. I just don't follow the thread very well . . . we've been keeping an eye on it . . . we've not been lucky enough to catch anyone . . . has been harvest recently.

How good of an "eye" did they have - watching it for months, not catching anyone. Letting it be harvested, not catching anyone?

[Wilma]

I wondered about that, too, Mom.  "It has been harvested recently."?  Doesn't seem as if there would be much left to destroy and as dry as it is, there wouldn't be much re-growth.

For you all who are not familiar with the territory, it is heavily wooded with hedge and cedar.  There is no place for a surveillance vehicle to hide and anything parked in the area would be suspect.  Turkey Rd. ends at Highway 99.  The portion that goes west goes up a hill and any traffic going west is soon out of sight.  About a quarter mile from the highway there is a culvert that drains the field from the other side of the road and joins the drainage from said land.  It all then runs down and under the highway.  I don't know where the entrance to the land might be as we never go that way.  There is an entrance from the highway, but it never looks as if it is being used.  Am I right, Frank?

I have been looking at the landowner's map and am surprised at how much of the land is still in the family that it belonged to years ago.  Not many of them are still living there, though.

[srkruzich]

How about doing both? That's their job too. Illegal is illegal. Oh, Steve was that yours? Sorry! Poke,poke.

Wasn't mine.. 

[srkruzich]

How about doing both? That's their job too. Illegal is illegal. Oh, Steve was that yours? Sorry! Poke,poke.

They need to leave them alone.  Go after some real criminals!

[srkruzich]

I'm glad, I'm truly glad, that they found and destroyed the plants. I just don't follow the thread very well . . . we've been keeping an eye on it . . . we've not been lucky enough to catch anyone . . . has been harvest recently.

How good of an "eye" did they have - watching it for months, not catching anyone. Letting it be harvested, not catching anyone?

i just caught this, what good is it to destroy it now?  They've already harvested it.  Sheesh. talk about being late!  Once they harvest its over, no wonder they didn't catch anyone.

[Janet Harrington]

Here is what I think the story meant.

I think the sheriff probably meant they got the tip last week. There is no way they were watching it since last year. Come on people. Marijuana would not live through the winter. It had to have been last week that the tip came in or maybe a month ago.

I believe that when he said it had been harvested, I am sure he meant or said, some of it had been harvested. The growers were probably starting to harvest and when that happens then it is time to go in and get the rest of it.

Our sheriff's office does not have the means or the time to do surveillance. There is not always enough KBI agents to go around to do all the drug stuff in the state. Sometimes law enforcement has to investigate then go in and take it.  It just works that way.

Years ago we found a few cultivated plants along a creek. We found a pair of reading glasses that looked like they had just been dropped and fresh tracks. We hunted for awhile, but never did find anyone. We pulled the plants. Oh yeah, I think we also found a pump and hose going to the plants. It's just hard to always have the time and the money to do the surveillance that is needed to arrest someone.