Accused marijuana grower won’t serve time in joint

A Needville man arrested in January 2019 and charged with growing marijuana next door to a church and across the street from the high school has had his case dismissed.

Michael Ferguson successfully completed a pretrial intervention program and charges were dismissed in September, the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office reported.

By completing pre-trial diversion, Ferguson essentially will never have been tried, and thus have no criminal record in connection to the case.

On Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019, a search warrant was executed at a residence in the 16400 block of SH 36.

Task Force officers said they discovered the garage had been converted into a hydroponic marijuana growing operation capable of growing and harvesting several hundred plants at a time, deputies reported.

Ferguson, who was 41 at the time of his arrest, was booked into the Fort Bend County jail for possession of marijuana in a drug free zone, a second-degree felony offense punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

He was also charged with money laundering, a third-degree felony offense punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

“I am proud of the work the Task Force has done to get rid of this operation,” said then-Sheriff Troy Nehls.

“Here’s what really bothers me: this operation was directly across the street from Needville High School and right next to a church. Absolutely disgusting.”