NEWS RELEASE
UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
WESTERN DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA
Julia C. Dudley Acting United States Attorney Brian McGinn Public Affairs Specialist |
BB&T Building 310 1st Street, S.W., Room 906 Roanoke, Virginia 24011 (540) 857-2974 FAX (540) 857-2179 |
June 9, 2008
INDOOR MARIJUANA CULTIVATOR PLEADS GUILTY
Acting United States Attorney Julia C. Dudley announced today that Debra Allyn Morris, age 46, of Albemarle County, Virginia, has pled guilty in United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Charlottesville to charges that she and another individual were involved in the cultivation of marijuana.
“By stopping those individuals who grow illegal drugs we are cutting off the distribution of drugs at the source,” Acting United States Attorney Julia C. Dudley said today. “I want to thank all the men and women involved in this investigation for shutting down the activities of these two individuals.”
Morris, along with Michael Lewis Easton, age 49, also of Albemarle County, was indicted in April 2008 and charged with one count of cultivating fifty or more marijuana plants. Today in District Court, the defendant pled guilty to that count.
Easton, however, was charged with three counts of cultivating fifty or more marijuana plants. In addition to the drug charges, Easton was charged with being in possession of 10 firearms while being an admitted user of marijuana.
Additionally, the indictment alleges that Easton’s property, described in the indictment as being about 2 acres in the 3500 block of Scottsville Road, is subject to forfeiture if Easton is convicted of the drug charge. The ten firearms are also subject to forfeiture if he is convicted of the firearms charge.
The indictment also calls for the forfeiture of “grow lights,” electrical wiring, carbon dioxide generation units, growing trays, watering devices, water pumps, and thermometers used in the marijuana cultivation process. Easton’s case will be heard by a Federal Jury starting on August 11, 2008.
These charges arose out of an investigation begun in the Fall of 2007 by the Drug Enforcement Administration, th JADE Task Force and the Virginia State Police.
The maximum penalty faced by Morris is 20 years imprisonment and a fine of up $1,000,000. Easton faces a maximum penalty of 30 years imprisonment and a fine of $1,250,000.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the JADE Task Force and the Virginia State Police. Special Assistant United States Attorney Ron Huber is prosecuting the case.