Acting on an informant’s tip, Charlotte County sheriff’s uncovered 42 marijuana plants growing in the bathroom closet at a Punta Gorda home. Deputies have arrested an ex-con named Allen Milton Hardman on charges of cultivation, possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia charges. He is being held in Charlotte County Jail without bail.
According to the Sarasota Herald Tribune Hardman had been living in his mother’s home since his release from prison in August. His mother has told deputies that her son began cultivating marijuana plants less than a month ago. The search of the Dixie Avenue home turned up the plants and more than 20 grams of pot.
