SCRUBGRASS TWP., Pa. (EYT) – A local man is facing a hearing on Wednesday on felony charges related to the alleged theft and processing of hemp plants to be sold as marijuana.
Court documents indicate 20-year-old Aaron Williams Stephens, of St. Petersburg, is scheduled to stand for a preliminary hearing in front of Magisterial District Judge Matthew T. Kirtland at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 8, on the following charges:
– Manufacture, Delivery, or Possession With Intent to Manufacture or Deliver, Felony
– Theft By Unlawful Taking-Movable Property, Felony 3
– Receiving Stolen Property, Felony 3
– Possession of Controlled Substance, Misdemeanor
– Use/Possession Of Drug Paraphernalia, Misdemeanor
He is currently free on $7,500.00 unsecured bail.
The charges stem from an investigation into a reported theft in Scrubgrass Township, Venango County.
Details of the case:
According to a criminal complaint, on October 10, Trooper Young, of the Franklin-based State Police, was dispatched to a residence on McNany Road in Scrubgrass Township for a reported theft.
Trooper Young then spoke to a known victim who said that Aaron Williams Stephens was stealing hemp plants from his farm. The victim said he had confronted Stephens about the theft, and Stephens denied taking any hemp. However, the victim also related that a neighbor saw a vehicle, around 1:30 a.m. on October 6, that stopped at the hemp field and then sped off.
The complaint notes the victim reported that each plant was worth approximately $1,000.00.
Trooper Young made contact with Stephens on October 11.
According to the complaint, Stephens stated that he did not steal the hemp plants, then went on to say that he helped a known man process the hemp to sell to an individual in Oil City known as “Bucky.” Stephens said he was upset with the known man because he got “cut out of $750.00,” and said the known man sold the hemp to “Bucky,” for approximately $1,500.00, which Stephens expected to receive half of, prior to being “cut out.”
Stephens told police the known man showed up at his house around the time of September 30 and asked for help with trimming the plants for sale. Stephens said he and the known man weighed the hemp in ounces after trimming it, and went on to note that the known man “normally sold marijuana for approximately $200 an ounce.” Stephens reported he helped the known man, and then the known man left with the finished product, the complaint states.
Stephens was arraigned in front of Magisterial District Judge Matthew T. Kirtland at 11:05 p.m. on Monday, December 23.
No further charges related to the incident have been filed.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Industrial hemp and marijuana are both varieties of cannabis sativa, one of the three main subtypes of the cannabis plant, but they vary greatly in how much THC, the intoxicating substance in marijuana, they contain. While marijuana can contain up to 30% THC (by dry weight), industrial hemp contains less than 0.3%, according to Business Insider.
