Rome Township couple released pending federal court marijuana hearing

A Rome Township couple busted last week for growing more than 8,000 marijuana plants appeared Tuesday afternoon in United States District Court on federal charges.

Edwin Keith Schmieding and Linda Diane Schmieding, both 60, were released on $10,000 unsecured bonds that were set during their appearance before Magistrate Judge R. Steven Whalen.

A condition of their bonds is that the husband and wife live in separate homes while the case is pending, said Gina Balaya, spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Detroit.

The couple had been held in the Lenawee County Jail on $1 million bonds on marijuana manufacturing and conspiracy counts before the case was transferred to federal court. State charges are being dismissed, Balaya said.

The Schmiedings also face marijuana manufacturing and conspiracy counts in federal court. Preliminary examinations were scheduled for 1 p.m. on July 5.

Police involved in the bust expressed surprise at the size of the operation after searching the couple’s property the evening of June 6.

“This is probably the most extensive marijuana growing operation that I can remember in the Hillsdale and Lenawee area,” said Michigan State Police Inspector Gene Adamczyk. “This will put a crimp in some marketing somewhere.”

A total of 8,259 marijuana plants were seized from greenhouses and fields on the Schmieding’s property on Rome Road, where they operated a commercial flower farm in the past.

Linda Schmieding reportedly told an officer during the raid last week that they were making about $500 a week from marijuana.

Michigan State Police Lt. Steven Galbreath, commander of the OMNI Team 3 narcotics unit, said the potential street value was more than $8 million, assuming a harvest of one pound per plant and a retail sale price of $1,000 per pound.

An anonymous caller told an OMNI team member on May 17 that Edwin Schmieding and another man were growing and selling marijuana for $800 a pound, according to an affidavit filed Monday in federal court by Special Agent Lloyd Hopkins of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

His affidavit said OMNI officers entered a field next to the Schmieding property on Rome Road on June 6 and saw several marijuana plants inside a greenhouse. They then obtained a search warrant and swept onto the property at about 7:45 p.m.

The Schmiedings were detained at their home. According to Hopkins, Edwin Schmieding led officers to a storage box inside his attached garage and unlocked it with a key. Inside were 56 bags of processed marijuana, marked by weight, he said in the affidavit.

Police also reported seizing 100 bags of marijuana seeds marked by dates going back to 2006.

Linda Schmieding was questioned separately and told a Michigan State Police detective that she knew her husband was growing marijuana and that she helped plant and cultivate it, Hopkins stated in the affidavit.

She said her husband was selling to patients and “she thought he was also selling to dispensaries,” said Hopkins’ affidavit. She also said a third person was taking marijuana to Toledo.

Linda Schmieding first told the officer they were making about $100 a month from marijuana, the affidavit said, then later told the officers “that they were receiving $500 per week, then refused to answer further questions.”

Edwin Schmieding had retained Adrian attorney James Daly to defend him against state charges that are now being dismissed. Daly said the defense will be taken over by an attorney experienced in federal court. Detroit attorney James Gerometta was listed as representing the Schmiedings on documents posted on the federal court’s website Tuesday afternoon.