Auxvasse man pleads guilty to growing marijuana and owning illegal guns

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

An Auxvasse man pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to growing marijuana and illegally possessing multiple guns.

Darrin Dale Smithee, 55, faces up to 15 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to one count of manufacturing marijuana and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

In Sept. 2018, Callaway County sheriff’s deputies and the MUSTANG Task Force members searched Smithee’s residence and found multiple guns and a marijuana growing operation in the basement.

Deputies reported finding two large industrial LED lights that ran off 1,000-watt amplifiers, several hoses used for ventilation, air filters, fertilizer and a water source. In the same room was a plastic tub containing marijuana stems, branches and leaves.

During an aerial search of Smithee’s property, officers found mature marijuana plants while searching the field.