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BIZARRE TIP LEADS TO BIGGEST POT BUST OF YEAR

Man reports assault, then police discover he's growing 27 pot plants in his backyard 07/29/01 Michael McKnight Email this story to a friend

ROANOKE RAPIDS - A bizarre tip resulted in the largest marijuana bust of the year for Halifax County authorities Friday afternoon.

Halifax County Sheriff's Deputy J.M.  Clark said he responded to a call from Emmit Scott, 60, of 39 Heritage Lane, to go to the Best Bet convenience store on N.C.  Highway 48 south of Roanoke Rapids.

"When I got there, he ( Scott ) told me he was assaulted," Clark said.  "He wanted to report someone stealing his marijuana plants."

Scott said the incident began when he walked down to the Best Bet store, about a quarter of a mile from his home, Friday afternoon and became involved in an "altercation" with a young man whom he believed had visited the garden in his backyard on several occasions.

"He had come to my garden and was stealing my marijuana plants and breaking them off at night," Scott said.  "I told him to stop and if he didn't he was going to get in trouble."

After relaying that warning to the man, Scott said the man became i rritated and began following him around the store yelling, "I didn't steal your damn marijuana!" Scott said it was then that he made the decision to call the authorities.

When Clark arrived on the scene, Scott said he took the deputy to his garden and showed him the damage the man allegedly caused to the marijuana plants in his garden.

Lt.  E.M.  Buffaloe of the Halifax County Drug Task Force said authorities discovered 27 marijuana plants the officers valued at more than $1 million in Scott's garden.  "This is the biggest marijuana bust we've had this year as far as a growing operation," he said.

"I didn't know there was that much," Scott said of the authorities' $1 million estimate of his crop.  "It's not worth anything until it is matured."

Scott said he is on dialysis and has grown marijuana and several other "herbs" in his backyard garden to use for personal pain relief since 1991.

He said he has never been caught for growing controlled substances in his garden before Friday and has never sold any of the marijuana or any of the other "herbs" from his garden.  "I didn't know it was illegal to grow it ( marijuana ) in your own garden," Scott said.

"It's very unusual to grow this much marijuana and there is no evidence of selling it," Buffaloe said.  He said Scott was charged with one count of manufacturing a controlled substance and once count of maintaining a dwelling to keep a controlled substance, both felonies.

Scott said he did not think it was fair that the sheriff's department charged him for growing the marijuana, because, he said, "I showed it to them voluntarily."

"I'm shocked," said Scott's next-door neighbor, who did not want his name revealed, of the marijuana discovery.  She described Scott as a quiet man who kept to himself.  The neighbor said she rarely had contact with Scott except on occasions when he used the telephone in her house to call for medical attention because he did not have a phone.

Clark said when he arrived on the scene, the marijuana in Scott's garden was covered with brown sticks.  In addition to the marijuana, the garden contained an assortment of flowers, butter beans and squash.

Clark said Scott was advised to take out a warrant on the man whom he believes to have been stealing marijuana from his garden.  "It's still larceny," he said.