56 marijuana plants seized in Uniontown
Uniontown police seized 56 marijuana plants after they were dispatched to a vacant house for a report of a man loading marijuana into a trunk.
Police said Carl Moore, 42, and Lisa Murray, 42, both of Uniontown were allegedly observed outside the 163 Lincoln Street house with the trunk open and marijuana plants inside.
Murray shut the trunk, according to the affidavit of probable cause. She told police they were at the house getting gas cans for her mother.
She claimed Moore told her the plants were tomatoes and peppers, the affidavit said.
Police said they found 50 small plants in the trunk and six in the yard.
On April 21, Bentleyville police allegedly found 71 marijuana plants at 143 Main Street, along with irrigation systems and other growing tools. Richard Ritenour, 38, of Bentleyville was charged with 71 counts each of possession with intent to deliver and possession of a controlled substance and 26 counts of possession of drug paraphernalia.
Uniontown Lt. Tom Kolencik said with the prevalence of heroin and other drugs, large seizures like this are not uncommon.
“As police officers and as a police department, we don’t get shocked and awed with that type of seizure,” he said.
Kolencik said multiple busts in less than two weeks could be attributed to either the economy or the growing season.
“I think that itĢƵ like with any garden,” he said. “I think itĢƵ that time of year. Summer is coming.”
He said he is unsure what the street value of the marijuana would have been. But a full-grown plant can yield about one pound of marijuana, he said.
“So you’re looking at 56 pounds at full growth, which is a lot of profit,” he said.
Moore was charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Murray was charged with three counts of conspiracy.
Both were arraigned at 11 p.m. Wednesday before on-call Magisterial District Judge Ronald Haggerty Jr.
They are lodged in Fayette County Prison in lieu of $10,000 bonds.




