CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ala. — Local authorities say they arrested two people on drug charges after a local grower was caught in the act earlier this week — reports indicated that he grew more than tomatoes in his garden.

Arrested, according to Cherokee County Sheriff Jeff Shaver, were Carl Steven Smith, 53, who was charged with trafficking in marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, and his son, Jeffrey Kyle Hulsey, who was charged with possession of marijuana in the first degree.

On Aug. 15, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit was working with the Alabama Bureau of Investigations Marijuana Eradication Team conducting aerial searches when one of the state trooper pilots spotted marijuana plants off County Road 83 in the Moshat Community.

The pilot, Shaver said, observed a man run from the residence and begin cutting down the plants. Officers on the ground responded to the residence and located all the plants which had been cut down, additional plants beside the residence, and approximately one pound of marijuana that was drying inside the house.

Hulsey has been released on bond. Smith remains in the Cherokee County Detention Center with a $50,500 bond. The seized marijuana is estimated to have a street value of $86,000.

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