A man originally accused of growing 127 marijuana plans has been sentenced on Tuesday to three years in state prison, authorities said.
This April 21, 2011 AP photo shows marijuana growing in the home of two medical marijuana patients in Medford, Ore. Authorities said in 2010 Shawn Bittner of Newton had 127 such plants. NEWTON -- A man originally accused of growing 127 marijuana plans has been sentenced on Tuesday to three years in state prison, authorities said.
Shawn Bittner, 48, pleaded guilty this past June to the second-degree crime of manufacturing marijuana plants, admitting to possession 10 to 50 plants in his backyard, the Sussex County Prosecutor's Office previously said.
At the time of his arrest in 2010 following a neighbor's tip, authorities said they found 127 plants up to six feet tall in pots on Bittner's property and in his home. Bittner was charged with first-degree manufacture of a controlled dangerous substance, a first-degree crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison with up to a $300,000 fine.RELATED: 5 years later, man accused of having 127 pot plants takes plea deal
As part of his plea deal, Bittner must also pay $2,205 in fines and will face a six-month loss of his driver's license after he serves his sentence. Authorities said he received 88 days credit for time served.
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