Indictment charges man with running pot farm
AFreehold Borough man has been indicted by a Monmouth County grand jury and charged with running a marijuana farm in his home.

On Aug. 8, the grand jury returned an indictment charging Todd C. Wade, 34, of Freehold Borough, with the first degree crimes of possession of a controlled dangerous substance (CDS) with intent to distribute, manufacturing a CDS and maintaining a CDS production facility, according to a press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office.

The indictment also charges Wade with the third degree crime of possession of CDS with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of school property, and the fourth-degree crime of possession of CDS.

According to the press release, the indictment results from a three-month investigation conducted by the New Jersey State Police Drug Trafficking Central Unit/Marijuana Eradication Squad.

The investigation culminated with Wade's arrest on Jan. 25. The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office and the Freehold Borough Police Department provided assistance in making the arrest.

Wade is represented by attorney Mitchell Ansell who told the News Transcript on Aug. 10 that his client "intends to fight these charges vigorously and he intends to plead not guilty. There is a lot more to this case than meets the eye."

The prosecutor's office said the investigation revealed the presence of a "grow room" in the basement of Wade's residence on Runyon Avenue and within 1,000 feet of Freehold High School at the corner of Broadway and Robertsville Road, Freehold Borough.

A "grow room" is a room prepared as an artificial environment for the cultivation of marijuana plants. The "grow room" in Wade's residence was found to contain more than 40 marijuana plants, in varying stages of growth.

Additional marijuana plants, as well as quantities of a substance believed to be dried marijuana, marijuana seeds and paraphernalia related to the growing and packaging of marijuana were present within other parts of the residence. In total, the residence con tained 53 marijuana plants and 158 grams of loose marijuana.

Bail was set by presiding Monmouth County Municipal Court Judge John G. Colannino at $150,000 with no 10 percent option. Wade posted bail and was released on Jan. 26, according to the press release.

The next court proceeding for Wade will be an arraignment, which is the formal presentation of the indictment to the defendant. The arraignment will be scheduled within the next 45 days before state Superior Court Judge Francis P. DeStefano, to whom the case has been assigned.

If convicted of any of the first degree charges, Wade faces a custodial sentence of up to 20 years in prison. The charge of maintaining a CDS production facility addi tionally requires that Wade serve upon conviction between one-third to one-half of any sentence imposed before he becomes eligible for parole.

The third-degree charge of possession of CDS with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of school property exposes Wade to up to five years in prison if convicted, of which at least three years must be served before he can be considered for parole. The fourth-degree possession of CDS charge carries a potential term of incarceration of up to 18 months upon conviction, according to the press release.

Monmouth County Prosecutor Luis A. Valentin said, "Tucked away on a quiet street in the shadow of Freehold High School was an indoor marijuana farm. The investigation conducted by the state police successfully disrupted Wade's operation before his crop was distributed on the street."