Look inside a ‘sophisticated’ marijuana farm with over 700 plants at a NC man’s home

A man in North Carolina converted his entire home into a “sophisticated growing and processing center for marijuana,” according to the sheriff’s office.

Then he got caught.

Sheriff’s deputies arrested 58-year-old Michael Wayne Shoffner in Mocksville after seizing 723 plants and 127 pounds of marijuana from the residence, the Davie County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post Wednesday.

“The residence had new rooms built and had been rewired to accommodate grow lights, timers, fans, and a ventilation system to maximize the growing potential of the marijuana being cultivated inside the residence,” the post states. “Officers located marijuana in varying stages of production ranging from seedlings to mature plants to processed marijuana ready for sale.”

Down the road, deputies found four handguns, three shotguns, ammunition and more than $1,700, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Shoffner was charged with manufacturing marijuana, maintaining a dwelling for a controlled substance, and seven counts of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. His bond was set at $25,000 on the drug charges and $100,000 on the gun charges.

Jail records show he was arrested Feb. 13 and has since bonded out.

The Sheriff’s Office attached a dozen photos of the home to the post, including the dismantled evidence in the back of an enclosed trailer.

But some residents said law enforcement’s efforts were better spent elsewhere.

“Oh wow, marijuana. What a huge threat, thanks for preventing so many overdoses, deaths, and violence,” one person wrote.

“What a waste of tax dollars,” another said. “Focus on all the human trafficking and meth that runs rampant through your county. Leave the poor old man alone.”

Another seemed to be sarcastically thanking officers for “protecting our precious precious snacky snacks.”

This story was originally published February 19, 2020 at 6:54 PM.

Hayley Fowler

mcclatchy-newsroom

704-358-5414

Hayley Fowler is a reporter at The Charlotte Observer covering breaking and real-time news across North and South Carolina. She has a journalism degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and previously worked as a legal reporter in New York City before joining the Observer in 2019.