Two people were arrested on Wednesday morning for allegedly trying to steal hemp plants from Conscious Harvest, a community farm at the intersection of Kingwood Pike and Green Bag Road.
Thomas J. Ross, 52, of Clarksburg and Jennifer E Moses, 49, of Bridgeport, are charged with attempted grand larceny and felony destruction of property by the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department.
About 6:15 a.m. it was reported people were in the process of stealing hemp plants that are grown at the farm, a licensed grower, according to a criminal complaint. Deputies and a Morgantown Police Department officer who was nearby responded to the call.
When the officer arrived, the property owners came out of hiding and said the suspects were lying down in the field in an attempt to hide, the complaint said.
Ross and Moses were caught in the field with five hemp plants they pulled from the ground to steal, the complaint said. The owner said the plants were worth at least $500 each and the plants that were ripped up were likely destroyed.
The two were arraigned in Monongalia County Magistrate Court by Senior Status Magistrate Gail Roush who set bond at $50,000 each.
