Albemarle County man faces up to 20 years for home-grown marijuana

By The Daily Progress Staff

Published: August 11, 2008

An Albemarle County man today admitted his involvement in growing marijuana in his home.

Michael Lewis Easton, 49, entered a guilty plea this morning to cultivating 50 or more marijuana plants within the past year.

In Charlottesville federal court, Assistant U.S. Attorney Ron Huber said authorities caught wind of the operation from an informant. On Jan. 31, a search warrant executed at Easton’s Scottsville home turned up growing equipment and guns.

Easton told police at the time that he started growing in spring 2007; Huber said the self-identified cocaine and marijuana user said he gave away, sold and used the marijuana that he was growing.

Defense attorney David Heilberg said that there was “probably a self-medicating component”. Easton was identified in court as suffering from arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome.

Easton faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced Nov. 3. His girlfriend and co-defendant, Debra Allyn Morris, is scheduled to be sentenced in September