Resident pleads guilty in pot growing case

Hillsborough Beacon ^ | 12/29/2005 | Melissa Edmond

[md2576]

Daniel E. McAllister, 48, remains free on bail after pleading guilty Friday to having grown up to $1 million worth of marijuana plants at his Hillsborough Road residence. His attorney is preparing an appeal to a higher court to challenge the search of his client's property that led to the charge. Mr. McAllister will remain out on $150,000 bail until he is sentenced in about two months, according to Somerset County Prosecutor Wayne J. Forrest. Mr. Forrest said that Mr. McAllister faces up to 40 years in prison for admitting to maintaining a marijuana production facility and to possessing between $300,000 and $1 million worth of marijuana that was seized from his house on Oct. 8, 2002. When detectives searched Mr. McAllister's house in October 2002, they found what Mr. Forrest called "Somerset County's largest known indoor marijuana grow operation" and consisted of 293 marijuana plants in various stages of growth. Richard J. Simon of New Brunswick, Mr. McAllister's attorney, said that after the sentencing he and his client intend to appeal the case to the Appellate Division because authorities won't release information on how they knew about the growing facility. "Police refuse to tell us how they found out," said Mr. Simon. "All they could tell us was that an anonymous concerned citizen called them." Mr. Simon pointed out that police said the caller was in Mr. McAllister's house a week before the search and had seen 25 marijuana plants. "How did 25 plants turn into 200-something plants in a week?" asked Mr. Simon, who said that police claim that they have a tape of the caller that they never played for the judge during the trial. "I'm going to prove that there was no basis for them to get a search warrant and if that's true then the evidence will be suppressed." Mr. Simon said that no one had been in his client's house for a year before the search. He said Mr. McAllister lived on a 16-acre ranch by himself with his three dogs. "He's never been in any trouble before. He was doing this (growing marijuana) in the privacy of his own home in a basement with the windows covered," said Mr. Simon. Mr. Forrest would not reveal how authorities knew to search Mr. McAllister's house but

[md2576]

I wonder how many more cases of pot busts we will hear of where athorities will not let known why they were able to obtain a warrant or how they obtained the information.

[md2576]

oops. this is an excerpt.

[Know your rights]

293 marijuana plants in various stages of growth.

Why should this be illegal but distilling alcohol be legal?

[Know your rights]

people should be hung for growing marijuana or doing drugs.

Does that include the deadly addictive drug alcohol?

[Moonman62]

You're a broken record.

[Know your rights]

A broken record is the regular posts that think alcohol is not a drug.

[plain talk]

Mr. Simon pointed out that police said the caller was in Mr. McAllister's house a week before the search and had seen 25 marijuana plants. "How did 25 plants turn into 200-something plants in a week?"

There must be a name for this sort of tactic. Anyone with any sense can easily see how someone could see a portion of the operation representing only 25 plants. But this tactic feeds on gullibility and is a trick often used by liberals.

[Pyro7480]

well alcohol is bad too but it wears off in the morning but pot gums up your brain tissue.

Alcohol abuse also has its negative physical effects too.

[kanawa]

$6,826 worth of weed

[kanawa]

I dont know but people should be hung for growing marijuana or doing drugs

Let me extend a warm FR greeting to you on your first day of posting.

[WayneS]

"But officer, it's for my personal consumption".

Oh, and Mr. DOZER, exactly how do YOU know that pot gums up your brain?

[conservativeharleyguy]

"I dont know but people should be hung for growing marijuana..."

Well now, I don't grow marijuana, but I may be hung.

[GaltMeister]

I remember hearing about a plastic surgeon that hung himself ...

[rimshot]

[md2576]

Sorry I hadn't responded. I had family stuff to do all day. Interestings posts to say the least.

[Know your rights]

pot gums up your brain tissue.

Whereas alcohol just kills it.

[Know your rights]

I dont know where you got your info on distilling liquor. This old man down the street just got caught here in PA

Distilling is legal with a license (ask the Seagrams Corp.) whereas growing marijuana never is. Why should that be?

[robertpaulsen]

"Why should this be illegal but distilling alcohol be legal?"

Distilling $1 million worth of alcohol in your basement is legal? Since when?

Take your tired-a$$ed alcohol arguments elsewhere.