The mayor of Jamaica and her husband are facing serious charges after a police search revealed what appeared to be a marijuana grow operation in their home, sources say. Iowa authorities arrested the mayor and her husband on Jan. 16, and the couple now stands accused of drug manufacturing, among several other offenses. Iowa law requires that city officials who have been convicted of felonies be removed from office, in addition to facing fines and jail time, which means the stakes of this case are very high for the couple.
According to the report, police were on the hunt for a suspected murderer, who they had heard may have been hiding at the home of the 50-year-old mayor and her 58-year-old husband. Officers came to their home around 4:20 p.m. where they encountered an overwhelming smell of what they believed to be marijuana. As a result, they called in for a warrant to enter the home. While they waited, law enforcement encircled the house.
The husband was detained when he exited the home ahead of the warrant, but when deputies escorted him back inside to retrieve his coat, he allegedly admitted to owning nine marijuana plants. When the warrant came through, officers say they discovered double that number in the basement, along with paraphernalia, a package of pills later confirmed to be Lorazepam, and baggies of what is believed to be prepared marijuana. The couple was arrested and charged with manufacture with intent to deliver, possession, and several other related charges.
Drug manufacturing charges are considered very serious here in Iowa and elsewhere in the nation. A guilty verdict could spell the end of the mayor’s political career, and even if she is exonerated, damage to her reputation will still have been done. This is why it is so important that she be represented by an experienced defense attorney who can work to confirm her innocence and limit the impact of these charges on her life moving forward.
