cannabisnews.com: Canton Police Answer Call, Sniff Pot Farm! Canton Police Answer Call, Sniff Pot Farm! Posted by FoM on March 20, 1999 at 06:20:33 PT CANTON A note to marijuana farmers from police: No matter how many gunshots you hear, if your place reeks of marijuana, you might want to at least spray some air freshener before dialing 911. Two Canton brothers heard gunfire and called police. This weekend, they are in the Stark County Jail awaiting arraignment Monday on charges of marijuana possession and cultivation.``What is this? An episode of `America's Dumbest Criminals?' '' asked Lt. Tim Richard, who heads the Canton police vice unit.Canton officers were called to the 1600 block of Harrisburg Avenue Northeast about 7:45 p.m. Thursday to investigate reports of shots fired in the area. Steve and Brian Smithberger said they found a shattered window at their old storefront just after they heard what sounded like gunfire.When police walked inside the shop, the smell was intoxicating, Richard said.``They called police because of the shots being fired, but once you open the front door, the marijuana smell was reeking,'' Richard said. ``It's what you'd call a large-scale operation.''A search of the shop, once a motorcycle repair business, found 300 marijuana plants valued at $300,000 growing in the basement under heat lamps, he said.Steve Smithberger, 30, was charged with cultivating marijuana, possession of marijuana and having a weapon under disability. He was also charged with two counts of receiving stolen property after police allegedly found two stolen motorcycles in the store.Brian Smithberger, 33, is charged with cultivating and possession of marijuana. Both men, who share a home on 28th Street Northeast, were being held in the Stark County Jail in lieu of $25,000 bonds.Police have yet to discover the source of the gunshot sounds.BY PHIL TREXLER Beacon Journal staff writer http://www.ohio.com/bj/news/docs/031213.htm Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #6 posted by American Bong Water on June 10, 2001 at 16:49:37 PT Innocent people Incarcerated forCallingThePolice Write your state senators and congressmen for legalisation of marijuana (Cannabis). Vote "Yes" for Leagal Marijuana and make our youth safer and the streets clean from the turmoil of innocent americans being inprisoned. Also, MARIJUANA is legal on all native american reservation due to there tribal soverienty "Treaty rights" man! cool! [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by UaN on March 20, 1999 at 14:06:37 PT Did they look for the source of gunshot... or after the big find of 300 plants and everything else, did they even care if someone was shooting a gun?........I think not!...they were in their glory, they get a charge out of busting people.....damn cops!!!!!!! [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by spirit on March 20, 1999 at 09:38:53 PT More Serious Crime Committed .... but secondary... They should have been arrested for the stolen motorcycles, not the marijuana. The irony is they will get more time for the pot, than the stolen bikes ....... go figure! [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by FoM on March 20, 1999 at 07:26:48 PT No Compassion! That's right and it's wrong! I'm not sure why that happened. I'll see if I can figure it out! [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by UaN on March 20, 1999 at 06:57:51 PT Wrong Story the last comment was supposed to be under another story....the one about the man in Texas.....what happened? [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by UaN on March 20, 1999 at 06:55:31 PT: Compassion This certainly shows the lack of compassion in our judicial system, especially when it comes to drugs. I mean if you are a big company or a rich person and you are busted for embezzellment, fraud, or some other white collar crime you seem to excape the bars of the cell, but if you are a regular person, watch out cause your ass is in jail and the system doesn't care and basically prefers that you disappear into the system......there is no compassion in our system! [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: