A Palmer man has been convicted after he used his home to grow hundreds of marijuana plants, authorities say.
Loren Kent Dodds was convicted Thursday for growing more than 600 plants inside his home, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
Trial evidence revealed Dodds, 48, converted the lower level of his residence into “a sophisticated hydroponic grow equipped with motorized lights and myriad timers,” prosecutors said in a statement. The lights and timers were powered by stolen electricity.
Dodds was convicted for growing pot two times before this — in 2008 and in 1994. He was still on probation for his 2008 convictions when police discovered a grow in 2013.
The grow was brought to law enforcement’s attention when a boy living at Dodds’ home asked a relative for a knife so he could help cut the stinky “lettuce,” prosecutors said.
Dodds denied responsibility, saying he lived in a motorhome offsite in lieu of his more than 3,000-square-foot residence, prosecutors said. Dodds said he had rented the residence to a couple, but did not know their last name or their telephone number.
The jury also decided that Dodds must forfeit his home to the government because it was used in his operation.
He will be sentenced in June. Dodds faces a minimum of 10 years imprisonment for his repeat offense and may be fined up to $5 million.