SLAYTON -- Austen Kyle Witte, one of several people arrested last fall in a marijuana grow operation investigation in rural Murray County, pleaded guilty to a third-degree controlled substance crime Thursday in Murray County District Court.
The plea agreement requested a sentence of 180 days, with 90 days served in jail and 90 on electronic home monitoring, but the final sentence will be up to Judge David Christensen, who requested a pre-sentence investigation.
During the hearing, Witte, 22, took the stand and answered the judge's questions with a respectful, "Yes, your honor" or "No, your honor."
When asked to explain what happened, Witte replied, "I made the biggest mistake of my life."
He told the judge his curiosity had gotten the better of him, so he went along when a friend requested his help.
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"I watched a guy water marijuana," he explained. "I just held the flashlight."
Witte acknowledged to the judge he knew the plants were illegal.
The marijuana grow operation, located in Cameron Township, was discovered in mid-September. Authorities had it under daily surveillance until Sept. 22, when they observed a truck with a water tank moving through the field and two people tending the plants.
Witte was arrested at that time, along with Travis Wallace Schwarz, 22, of Slayton. A total of 89 marijuana plants were found in four separate locations, weighing in excess of five kilograms.
Within days, Chase Michael Sanderson was also arrested and alleged to be the owner of the marijuana. Several other people were also arrested in connection to the case.
Sentencing for Witte is tentatively set for May 12, and he is to have a chemical dependency evaluation completed before sentencing takes place. In accordance with the plea agreement, first-, second- and fifth-degree controlled substance charges were dismissed.
Witte's case is the first from the grow operation investigation to be resolved. Robin Easterday is scheduled for a one-day trial next week, and Jeremy Aguirre is scheduled for a plea hearing March 24, when Samantha Cote has an omnibus hearing scheduled. Sanderson has a two-day trial on the court calendar for mid-April, and Schwarz has a two-day trial scheduled for the beginning of May.
