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Deputies working pot bust rescued from Iowa wilderness
Des Moines - Search and Rescue crews in Freehold County rescued 10 stranded sheriff's deputies who were forced to spend the night in the wilderness.
High winds prevented an airlift by a Des Moines-based helicopter.
Freehold County Sheriff Dave Brown said six Freehold County Sheriff's deputies and four pastors from Landover Baptist church who are members of the Marijuana Task force spent Saturday removing and burning thousands of marijuana plants from a large grow in the Dog Creek area just North of Freehold.
Brown said the grow was in extremely rugged terrain. He said the team became disoriented on Saturday after the deputies began burning large amounts of the devilweed. Daylight started to run out, and the deputies decided to camp out and wait for rescue.
Three of the deputies were apparently so tired, comfortable and giddy, they could not move on their own. Brown said the crew had a large supply of Oreo cookies, garlic potato chips, beef jerky and various other supplies, so they felt it best to make a campfire, sit in a circle, and join hands in Masculine prayer.
Rescue crews reached the stranded deputies early Sunday morning. All of the men were in excellent condition, well rested and happy to have provided service to their fellow man.
Authorities have recently been conducting an annual sweep using helicopters to spot marijuana-growing operations. Over the past week-and-a-half, they have seized nearly 80,000 marijuana plants in southwest and south-central Iowa.
Des Moines - Search and Rescue crews in Freehold County rescued 10 stranded sheriff's deputies who were forced to spend the night in the wilderness.
High winds prevented an airlift by a Des Moines-based helicopter.
Freehold County Sheriff Dave Brown said six Freehold County Sheriff's deputies and four pastors from Landover Baptist church who are members of the Marijuana Task force spent Saturday removing and burning thousands of marijuana plants from a large grow in the Dog Creek area just North of Freehold.
Brown said the grow was in extremely rugged terrain. He said the team became disoriented on Saturday after the deputies began burning large amounts of the devilweed. Daylight started to run out, and the deputies decided to camp out and wait for rescue.
Three of the deputies were apparently so tired, comfortable and giddy, they could not move on their own. Brown said the crew had a large supply of Oreo cookies, garlic potato chips, beef jerky and various other supplies, so they felt it best to make a campfire, sit in a circle, and join hands in Masculine prayer.
Rescue crews reached the stranded deputies early Sunday morning. All of the men were in excellent condition, well rested and happy to have provided service to their fellow man.
Authorities have recently been conducting an annual sweep using helicopters to spot marijuana-growing operations. Over the past week-and-a-half, they have seized nearly 80,000 marijuana plants in southwest and south-central Iowa.
