Hollister
– A Gustine man pleaded not guilty to charges of felony
marijuana growing in San Benito County Superior Court on
Wednesday.
Hollister – A Gustine man pleaded not guilty to charges of felony marijuana growing in San Benito County Superior Court on Wednesday.
Francisco Tovar, 36, waived his right to a preliminary examination Wednesday before entering the plea before Judge Steven Sanders.
Tovar was arrested along with 57-year-old Dos Palos resident Michael Hennagan after a United Narcotic Enforcement Team’s raid of Hennagan’s uncle’s ranch on Panoche Road in August 2006. Hennagan was convicted in December for felony charges of growing marijuana. He was placed on three years felony probation for his role in the cultivation of 2,762 marijuana plants, worth $524,000.
Tovar’s attorney, Harry Robertson, said his client suspected something was going on at the ranch, but was not part of the growing operation.
“He wasn’t involved,” Robertson said. “He just helped feed the animals.”
He also said many people had access to the site.
Tovar’s wife, Elaine, attended the preliminary examination Wednesday.
“He’s a great guy,” she told the Free Lance. “He’s a great father.”
Hennagan told UNET agents that he had allowed Tovar, the ranch’s foreman, and two other unidentified men to use the ranch to grow marijuana, according to police reports. In exchange for letting the men use the ranch, Hennagan told agents, he was promised payment of $15,000 to $20,000 after the pot had been harvested and sold, the report stated.
Tovar denied involvement in the growing operation and gave agents permission to search his Gustine home. There, agents found a .38-caliber pistol and “remnants of an indoor marijuana grow” in the attic, according to the report.
Tovar is being held at the San Benito County Jail in lieu of $50,000 in bail.
Tovar will be in court again Feb. 21 to set a date for his trial. If convicted of growing marijuana, he could face up to three years in prison.
Michael Van Cassell covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or [email protected].
