HAVELOCK - An emergency call about a man with a gun resulted in Pocahontas County sheriff's deputies seizing nearly 100 marijuana plants and charging a Havelock man with more than 150 offenses, according to investigators.
Daniel J. Schug, 35, was arrested Wednesday and remains in the Pocahontas County Jail in lieu of $754,300 bond. Pocahontas County Sheriff Bob Lampe said Schug will make his first appearance in magistrate court at 9 a.m. Monday.
The incident marked the second time this month that authorities in that county seized a large number of marijuana plants. Lampe said Friday there is no connection between the two seizures.
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A motorist's bad luck launched the series of events that led to Schug's arrest. The Sheriff's Department reported that the man's vehicle broke down on Iowa Highway 4 about three and a half miles north of Pocahontas. The man walked up a nearby farm driveway looking for help. He told investigators that a man came out of the house there, pointed a handgun at his face, made threats and demanded that he leave immediately.
Lampe said the motorist ran back to the highway and called for help.
His emergency call was received at 6:10 p.m. Lampe and a Pocahontas Police Department officer arrived on the scene about three minutes later.
Lampe said he and the officer found Schug standing by the house. Schug appeared to be under the influence of a controlled substance, so Lampe summoned a deputy with special training in drug recognition to conduct an evaluation. It was determined that Schug was under the influence of a controlled substance, according to the Sheriff's Department.
Schug consented to a search of the property, according to the Sheriff's Department. During the search, investigators found just under 100 marijuana plants with a street value estimated at $80,000. They also found a substance believed to be methamphetamine, guns and drug paraphernalia.
Schug was charged with 75 counts of manufacturing a controlled substance with the intent to deliver, 75 counts of failure to affix a drug tax stamp, possession of methamphetamine (second offense), possession of marijuana (second offense) and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Also, Lampe revoked Schug's permit for carrying concealed weapons.
Earlier this month, Pocahontas County deputies seized more than 20 marijuana plants from an acreage near Rolfe. Jason L. Ferguson and Kathleen B. Ferguson face multiple charges in connection with that case.