Pot crop lands Side Lake man in trouble

Last update: November 11, 2009 - 9:04 PM

He was raising more than 1,000 plants and counting on the harvest. But the Side Lake, Minn., man ran into trouble with the law because his crop of choice was marijuana.

Thorsten Gorham Otterness, 49, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Duluth to one count of manufacturing marijuana as part of an agreement, a statement from the U.S. attorney's office said.

Otterness had been indicted on three counts in September after police saw the marijuana plants from the air on Sept. 10 and searched his house.

Otterness admitted to growing 1,339 plants in a field next to his house, starting in the summer, with a plan to harvest and sell the marijuana, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

U.S. District Judge Richard Kyle will sentence Otterness later. The maximum penalty is life in prison, the attorney's office said.

VINCE TUSS

Recent Local + Metro stories

Missing hunter found dead in Rock Co. - November 11, 2009

Missing hunter found dead in Rock Co. - Rock County sheriff's officials have identified the hunter found dead in some woods near Janesville. More