Big Pot Bust Near Theodore Roosevelt High School in Kent

More than 200 marijuana plants and $9,000 in cash were seized Friday during a Portage County Drug Task Force raid at 1128 N. Mantua St. in Kent.

Arrested on charges of possession of drugs, a third-degree felony, were the rental home’s occupants, Bradley M. Stehney, 38, and Todd A. Flickinger, 51, according to the drug task force.

Both men were transported to the Portage County jail and will be arraigned at 1:15 p.m. Monday in Portage County Municipal Court in Ravenna.

“There will be additional charges pending grand jury review,” Portage County Drug Task Force Commander Pat Burns said.

The current charge could be elevated to a second-degree felony if the home is found to be within 1,000 feet of , which is located at 1400 N. Mantua St. “We’re going to have it lasered … it’s right on edge of a school zone,”  Burns said.

An anonymous tip called in to the task force hotline prompted an investigation that spanned the past month and a half, Burns said.

Task force agents arrived at the house just before noon Friday and found more than 200 marijuana plants in various stages of growth in both the kitchen and basement.

Asked the street value of the drugs, Burns said, “My guess would be $1,000 a plant once they come to fruition. Some were near that stage, some weren’t.”

Burns said other items seized included more than $9,000 in cash, paraphernalia related to marijuana cultivation and use, and possessions believed to have been purchased with drug proceeds.

Among those possessions were two older-model Toyota vehicles, electronics, tools and yard equipment. Burns said that once the case is “disposed,” those items could be sold by the task force to fund further enforcement efforts.

The task force, assisted by the Portage County Sheriff’s Office and , remained on the scene for nearly three hours. Burns said the raid was conducted by about 10 agents, and that Stehney and Flickinger were arrested without incident.

Portage County online court records show that Stehney has lived at 1128 N. Mantua St. since at least 2003. His records include five traffic offenses dating to 1992. He was a Hudson resident when arrested in August 1995 by police for possession of drugs. Stehney pleaded no contest and was found guilty of the fourth-degree misdemeanor.

There are 11 records for Flickinger dating to November 1992, the brunt of which involve traffic-related offenses.

The Portage County Drug Task Force is comprised of officers from the Portage County Sheriff’s Office, police departments in Streetsboro, Aurora, Garrrettsville and Kent, as well as the Portage County Prosecutor’s Office.

Suspected drug activity can be reported by calling the task force hotline at 330-296-8626.