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Giant bear raids marijuana plantation

Rocky wire reports

Published September 3, 2008 at 3:30 p.m.

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The marijuana grow site in Utah.

Garfield County Sheriff's Office

The marijuana grow site in Utah. "This bear is definitely law-enforcement minded," Sheriff Danny Perkins said. "If I can find this bear, I'm going to deputize him."

Bear's claw marks at marijuana site.

Photo by Garfield County Sheriff's Office

Bear's claw marks at marijuana site.

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GARFIELD COUNTY, Utah — With all of the recent marijuana seizures in Utah, a large bear in Garfield County decided to help "attack" the problem.

On Tuesday, Garfield County Sheriff Danny Perkins, sheriff deputies and U.S. Forest Service personnel discovered a marijuana plot on the east side of Durfey Creek on Boulder Mountain. But what makes this plantation different is that it had been initially raided by a giant bear.

Deputies found pipes chewed in half, food containers ripped apart and strewn everywhere, cans with bear teeth marks all over them, claw marks and bear prints across the camp, including giant bear claw scratches where people typically carve their name into a tree.

"This bear is definitely law-enforcement minded," Perkins said. "If I can find this bear, I'm going to deputize him."

Perkins says it appears that whoever was running the marijuana operation decided to abandon the efforts after the repeated black bear appearances at camp.

Perkins said the plantation included 4,000 "starter" sacks of marijuana (small plastic bags with seeds, some chemical plant food and dirt) and 888 young plants. They will be destroyed.

Comments

  • September 3, 2008

    3:46 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Bagel writes:

    I bet it was Smokey the Bear.

    I'd like to volunteer to help destroy the plants.

  • September 3, 2008

    3:46 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    chickenlittle1234 writes:

    Stoner Bear! He's back! I'm shocked that the sheriff couldn't find him, though. Look for the empty bags of Mallomars next to an uncontrollably giggling ursine.

  • September 3, 2008

    3:48 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    chickenlittle1234 writes:

    By the way - and I could be wrong - but those don't look like pot plants in the photo to me.

  • September 3, 2008

    3:50 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Bagel writes:

    I thought that too.

  • September 3, 2008

    4:03 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    7_ogNiOj writes:

    Don't even try to claim wild life has anything in common with the domestic pig by saying it was "law-enforcement minded." It clearly just had the munchies.

  • September 3, 2008

    4:04 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Reason writes:

    "those don't look like pot plants in the photo to me."

    You're right, they look like poorly cared for, wilting pot plants.

  • September 3, 2008

    4:10 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Boarder22 writes:

    SHWAAAAGGGGG

  • September 3, 2008

    4:12 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Willy writes:

    That wasn't a bear. It was the ghost of Jerry Garcia

  • September 3, 2008

    4:17 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    sheepherder writes:

    Yep, underwatered baby plants. 7! You back from protesting? Good to hear from ya again.

  • September 3, 2008

    4:22 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    4gColoNative writes:

    Tokey the Bear

  • September 3, 2008

    4:42 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    freedomfighter1 writes:

    Smokey the bear wouldn't have destroyed the camp, he would have taken over.

  • September 3, 2008

    5:34 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    SteveC writes:

    Tokey the Bear? That just made my day!

  • September 3, 2008

    5:37 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    COLibertarian writes:

    Bear found in local 7-11. Bloodshot eyes and twinky filling all over his face. Could it be him?

  • September 3, 2008

    6:34 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    dadinlittleton writes:

    Hey, wait a minute, i thought pot was not addictive. Why did the bear keep coming back?

  • September 3, 2008

    6:35 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    7_ogNiOj writes:

    Exfiltrated from the police state successfully, sheep.

  • September 3, 2008

    6:47 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    ksells writes:

    First the giant bear attacks Georgia, now it attacks Utah. Well, now that the giant bear has pulled back, Little George will give Utah a billion dollars to repair itself.

    Must be slow news day. But I have to admit it's more interesting then listening to how Palin telling the nation about how being in the PTA makes her qualified to be VP.

  • September 3, 2008

    8:32 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Doggone writes:

    Those are dying and dead medicine plants mixed in with baby aspen trees. Growing in Utah??? In a state so strict strippers where nipple covers. Not a good move. Grow in Alaska, where the majority smokes. You know, where the next president of the USA is coming from sponsored by our boy Dobson of good ol' CO Springs. Irony doesn't get any better.

  • September 3, 2008

    10:21 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    ColdShot writes:

    I think Fro was the one munching the dope plants!

  • September 4, 2008

    7:26 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    LingLingfor_prez writes:

    Good job Doggone, you think you might be off topic a little?

  • September 4, 2008

    8:58 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Fireball writes:

    Now Tokey the Bear has turned blue and is peeking into the Denver Convention Center.

  • September 4, 2008

    10:01 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    OhBrother writes:

    Yogi does like those picnic baskets...hey booboo

  • September 4, 2008

    10:58 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    gs writes:

    Oh wow man it just feels so good to run my claws through this tree man.

  • September 4, 2008

    11:02 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    MarcoPolo writes:

    dadinlittleton:
    He was selling to his friends. Look for a bear living well above his means.

  • September 4, 2008

    11:54 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    temurlan writes:

    Bears claw the trees to mark their territory. They try to do it as high as possible to show how big they are. The marks on this tree look pretty low. I doubt it was a giant bear.

    But I've been wrong before. I used to support Obama. Ha!

  • September 4, 2008

    1:42 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    PonchoVia writes:

    Geez, between Tokey the Bear and the heroin addicted Elephant (see the other article), I gotta wonder what's up with these animals nowadays.