Winnebago Mayor Scott Robertson and his son have been arrested and charged with growing 240 marijuana plants in greenhouses and another property in the south-central Minnesota town.
Both are facing four felony charges for allegedly cultivating more than 23 cannabis plants in Faribault County District Court. The two remained lodged at the county’s jail on Friday.
An agent with the South Central Drug Investigation Unit first received an anonymous tip in January 2023 about cannabis plants growing in a greenhouse at 18195 340th Av. in Winnebego, according to the criminal complaint.
The agent alleged that Scott Robertson, 67, and his son Jacob Robertson, 46, used a trailer to remove the cannabis plants before an inspection in February 2023 found there was no crop on the site.
On Wednesday, the agent noticed a “strong” smell of unburnt marijuana near the building for 15 and 17 S Main St., which Scott Robertson owned, according to the charges. The two men had previously operated a licensed hemp operation, but the charges say their hemp license expired in December 2023.
Agents and deputies from the Faribault County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant on both properties the next day. Officers found 55 plants at the Main Street building, and 185 at the 340th Avenue greenhouses, charges say. The officers also found cannabis seeds.
The labels on the plants at the Main Street location were for kinds of seeds and plants with THC concentrations in excess of the .3% legal limit for hemp, while the labels at the greenhouses were for plants with concentrations at approximately 30%, the charges allege.
Officers found a notebook indicating financial transactions as recent as Jan. 8, allegedly showing partner profit splits with shares of $120,000 for a total distribution of $360,000, the complaint says.
Scott Robertson did not immediately respond to a phone message left at his office. Contact information could not be found for Jacob Robertson.
If Scott Robertson is unable to attend meetings, the city has a policy for a city council member to be the acting mayor, City Administrator Judi Hynes said.