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Marijuana
seized
Patrick McCarthy
PMcCarthy@News-Herald.com
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Authorities find 19 plants, some up to 9 feet tall; no one
charged
Law enforcement on Wednesday raided a Geauga County home and recovered a few
"trees" of marijuana, according to Geauga County Sheriff Dan McClelland.
The Geauga County Sheriff's Office and the Trumbull, Ashtabula and Geauga
Law Enforcement Task Force entered a home at 13760 Chardon-Windsor Road in
Hambden Township and seized 19 marijuana plants, some of which were up to 9
feet tall, McClelland said.
The man accused of growing the plants, Timothy D. Kollecker, 40, has not
been arrested or charged, McClelland said.
The value of the find wasn't officially totaled, but McClelland speculated
it could be between $38,000 and $76,000.
He said the total value depended on how Kollecker intended to sell the
drugs. Selling a larger number of smaller quantities usually brings in more
money than one large sale. "It wasn't the biggest drug operation we've
had, but maybe the biggest plants we've ever seized," the sheriff said.
"We've had to cut down plants before, but I don't ever think we've had to
saw them out."
McClelland said charges will likely be levied against Kollecker once the
plants are dried out and properly weighed. Once a weight is determined,
authorities will know what degree of felony charges to apply to this case,
McClelland said.
Kollecker is cooperating with authorities and is not considered a flight
risk, McClelland said.
He was the only person home when authorities arrived to execute the warrant,
McClelland said. Kollecker is reportedly married. Property records indicate
Kollecker owns the home. The Sheriff's Office learned of the plants
through an anonymous tip. A search warrant was acquired Wednesday through
Geauga County Probate Judge Charles "Chip" Henry, McClelland said.
It was then executed around 3 p.m. Wednesday, the Sheriff said. The
plants were located behind the residence, secluded, away from sight of
anyone on the road, McClelland said. McClelland said six guns also
were seized in the raid.
Kollecker never posed a threat to authorities on the scene with any of the
weapons, McClelland said.
Seized were a .44 Magnum; .308 pistol; two muzzle-loader-type shotguns; a
12-gauge shotgun; and .22-caliber semiautomatic rifle, McClelland said.
A trail camera, which is a remote-controlled device that activates when it
senses nearby motion, was also seized from the residence, the sheriff said.
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