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Man pleads guilty in marijuana grow-op case

A 51-year-old man charged after police busted a large marijuana grow operation on public land northwest of Sundre in June has pleaded guilty to a charge of producing a controlled substance.

A 51-year-old man charged after police busted a large marijuana grow operation on public land northwest of Sundre in June has pleaded guilty to a charge of producing a controlled substance.The accused entered the plea in Didsbury provincial court on Monday.On June 29, RCMP seized more than 400 marijuana plants, as well as chemicals and pieces of equipment used for growing marijuana, at an isolated wooded located.ìMembers of the Sundre RCMP followed up on information received about a suspicious camp and structures in the provincial forest northwest of Sundre,î said Sundre RCMP Cpl. Ryan Hodge.The accused was arrested a short distance from the grow operation.Colin Foley will be back in court on Jan. 23 for sentencing. A charge of possessing a controlled substance will be spoken to at that time.Man involved in police chase jailedA 27-year-old man involved in a brief police chase west of Didsbury in August has been jailed for 30 months.The accused pleaded guilty before Judge M. Graham in Didsbury provincial court on Wednesday to charges of flight from police, two charges of possession of a controlled substance, and disqualified driving under the Traffic Safety Act.At about 2:30 p.m. on Aug. 10, a Didsbury RCMP member responded to a complaint of a drunk driver on Highway 766, court heard.When the officer pulled over a Ford truck believed to be the subject of the complaint and approached the vehicle on foot, the truck drove off.A short time later, a second Mountie saw the suspect vehicle and instituted a chase. However, when the suspect vehicle reached speeds of 120 km/h the officer called off the chase.About an hour later, police receive a report of an abandoned vehicle near Camp Evergreen near Sundre.An RCMP dog team was called to the scene and after a lengthy search, the accused was found nearby and arrested.When he was arrested the accused was found to be in possession of crack cocaine and methamphetamine.ìHe messed up big time,î said Crown prosecutor Roy Smith.The accused was on a 21-month conditional sentence at the time of his arrest following a December 2009 conviction for drug possession and possession of stolen property.The accused, who has a previous conviction for evading police, told the judge, ìI'm sorry I've disappointed you. I'm sorry and I want to turn my life around.îJudge Graham collapsed the earlier conditional sentencing, ordering the accused, Chase Dowson to serve the remaining 16 months in jail.On the four charges pleaded guilty to last week, she ordered the accused jailed for an additional 14 months, bringing the total sentence to 30 months.Man had stolen trailerA 36-year-old man pulled over by police near Sundre after a patrolling RCMP member noticed the licence plate on a trailer being towed behind the vehicle did not match the registration has been jailed.The accused pleaded guilty Wednesday to a charge of possession of stolen property under $5,000.The accused was pulled over on Jan. 27 and questioned about the trailer, court heard.He admitted he had taken the 2005 utility trailer from an empty lot just off Highway 2 near Crossfield sometime earlier.Judge Graham fined Daniel Sanford $1,150.

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