Police find marijuana at rural residence

A tip to Angola Police Department brought in a bounty of marijuana Monday.

K9 Officer Case Gilbert and his companion Yogi went to a rural residence in the 2900 block of C.R. 160S, southwest of Angola. As soon as he got to the residence, Gilbert said he could smell marijuana. “I took Yogi around and he agreed,” Gilbert said. Yogi alerted to the smell coming from inside the house and with that confirmation Gilbert obtained a search warrant.

The person who answered the door — 45-year-old Michael Robbins — was taken into custody on a warrant from Michigan and lodged in Steuben County Jail. Robbins will face additional charges, police said. A juvenile was also arrested in connection with the case.

“There’s another suspect that’s still at large,” said Angola Police Chief Stu Hamblen.

Angola Police and Steuben County Sheriff’s Department officers executed the warrant and found a large quantity of marijuana, cash, a rifle, paraphernalia and other controlled substances, said a news release.

The amount of marijuana has not yet been determined. If there was more than 10 pounds, the marijuana charge could be a Class C felony, which is punishable by up to eight years in prison.

Hamblen said the smell of marijuana was overpowering at the residence. The pot found included harvested stalks that were hanging to dry along with prepackaged bags.

“They had already harvested. We found where they had cut the stalks,” said Hamblen. In an area west of the residence, around a dozen stubs were found where the plant had been removed.

Inside the house, the contraband was in plain view, said Gilbert.