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$70K worth of pot found in vegetable garden, 2 arrested

Photos: Drug bust in South Charleston

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Clark County Sheriff's Sgt. Chris Clark takes down Rueben Finley, 22, after Clark found him hiding under a truck cap behind 6080 Nagley Road on Tuesday, July 28. Staff photo by Marshall Gorby

Marijuana cultivation reported near South Charleston

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By Valerie Lough, Staff Writer Updated 7:06 AM Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Clark County sheriff investigators arrested two men and rounded up at least 136 marijuana plants during a countywide eradication effort Tuesday, July 28.

Rueben Finley, 22, and Christopher Mathews, 21, both of 6080 Nagley Road, are facing charges of illegal cultivation of marijuana and tampering with evidence.

Deputies and Bureau of Criminal Investigation officials used a helicopter to spot marijuana plants growing in a vegetable garden in the rear of the home, said Sgt. Chris Clark of the Clark County Sheriff’s Office. Twenty plants were found there.

“Prior to our arrival, the helicopter reported that there were two suspects pulling the plants out of the ground,” he said.

When authorities arrived on the ground, the two men fled into some woods behind the home.

Finley was found hiding underneath a truck cap in the backyard. Mathews later turned himself in.

The two men would probably have only faced a misdemeanor charge of cultivation had they not pulled the plants or fled, said Clark.

Earlier in the day, investigators confiscated more than 70 plants from a field near Selma Pike and U.S. 42. Overall, 136 plants have been found so far.

Clark estimated the value of all the plants seized at more than $70,000.

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0360 or vlough@coxohio.com.

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