Jamaica, Iowa Mayor Arrested After Police Find 18 Pot Plants in Home
The mayor of Jamaica, Iowa and her husband have found themselves behind bars in what is probably the most coincidental story in state history.
Deputies in Guthrie County were on a manhunt for a shooting suspect when they happened upon LaDonna Kennedy's home. Kennedy is the mayor of Jamaica and authorities had reason to believe their suspect was in the area.
At about 4:20 P.M. (heh heh) on Wednesday afternoon Sheriff Marty Arganbright knocked on the mayor's door. As they waited for an answer, deputies could smell an "overwhelming odor of raw marijuana" coming from the house.
Eventually the mayor's husband, Randy Kennedy, greeted them at the door and was detained. A deputy escorted him back inside to get a coat and he admitted that they had nine plants in the basement. Officials found a total of 18 marijuana plants inside the residence.
They also found nine baggies filled with pot, drug paraphernalia, and an unlabeled bottle with 24 Lorazepam pills in the "marijuana-grow operation."
50-year-old LaDonna and 58-year-old Randy were charged with intent to deliver no more than 50 kilograms of marijuana, possession of a controlled substance, failure to affix a drug stamp, and knowingly keeping a dwelling for possessing or selling a controlled substance.