Man arrested on Rota for allegedly growing pot
Police arrested a 43-year-old man on Rota on Friday for allegedly growing marijuana plants on the island.
Stephen Edwards Albright was taken to the Superior Court on Saipan yesterday morning on charges of possession and trafficking of a controlled substance.
Associate Judge Teresa Kim-Tenorio imposed a $30,000 cash bail and set the preliminary hearing for Oct. 22 at 9am.
Kim-Tenorio appointed assistant public defender Michael Sato as counsel for Albright.
Sato noted that police detective Tito S. Hocog II wrote a declaration of probable cause in support of the issuance of a search and arrest warrant. Hocog, however, did not mention what happened after the search was conducted, Sato said.
Assistant attorney general Chester Hinds said Sato can raise that issue during preliminary hearing or through a motion, not during yesterday’s bail hearing.
Kim-Tenorio agreed with the prosecutor.
Hocog stated in his declaration that a cooperating source told him on Oct. 6 that Albright was growing and selling marijuana at his residence in Songsong Village.
Hocog said the source revealed that 25 to 30 marijuana trees were planted in plastic pots behind Albright’s residence and were about four to six feet tall. The source also told the detective that there were approximately 80 to 100 marijuana sprouts in plastic trays behind the house.
The cooperating source added that dried marijuana plants were inside the suspect’s house.
An outsider thrown under the bus by a disgruntled customer.
BUT a $30K bail? that seems extreme. The crack cases (And violent crimes) most times do not warrant that amount.
I would like to think this is too harsh a fine. I think it’s time we look into legalize pot. It’s already rampant right.
I guess we have extra revenue to support another inmate for possession of marijuana. While states such as Washington, Oregon, Colorado, etc. have been busy legalizing the use and possession of marijuana, we here in the CNMI are still busy arresting people for such act. As we learn more and more of the lies that the federal government, especially the FBI have been saying about the danger of marijuana, it is becoming clearer that it simply does no harm like alcohol. A lot of states now consider marijuana possession as a simple misdemeanor offense and carries no jail time, just fines.
Pot needs to be legal out in the Mariana’s for the simple fact is….there is not proper medical care out here and your lucky if you get to see a doctor…plenty people use the plant.We pray for each other…..God bless you all!