4 arrested for growing marijuana
After an extensive investigation, two Madison men and a Waterloo man were arrested Wednesday night by the Columbia County Sheriff's Department for allegedly manufacturing marijuana in Deerfield.
A rural Deerfield property owner contacted authorities when he noticed marijuana plants being grown on his land. Deputies arrested Madison residents Peter D. Fortlage, 48, and Sean K. Barry, 41, and James M. Laing, 48, of Waterloo after they cut five marijuana plants on the land. The three men are being held in the Columbia County Jail and will make their first court appearances on Monday.
Meanwhile, during searches of three properties in Columbia, Dane and Jefferson counties on Thursday, several items of contraband were discovered, including guns, money, marijuana plants and paraphernalia, and 15 pounds of marijuana were confiscated by authorities.
As a search and investigation continued, authorities also found an additional marijuana growing operation at a rural Dane County residence. Deputies executed a search and eventually arrested the owner of the home, Christian Hopka, 61. Hopka is being held in Dane County Jail and will make his first court appearance on Monday.
The investigation is continuing and additional arrests are expected to made, according to a release from Sheriff Dennis Richards from the Columbia County Sheriff's Department.
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