Fla. Mayor, 84, Says 'Grass' In Yard Was Not Hers

OAK HILL, Fla. -- The 84-year-old mayor of a central Florida city says someone tried to ruin her reputation by planting marijuana on her property.

Mayor Mary Lee Cook defended herself during an Oak Hill city commission meeting Monday after narcotics agents found pot growing on her land.

Volusia County Sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson says Cook has not been charged. He says the incident is under investigation but investigators do not believe the mayor knew the marijuana was there.

Cook says narcotics agents came to her home two weeks ago to check out reports that she was growing marijuana. The plants were found near a kicked-in section of fence near her house.

During Monday's meeting, Cook said she would not resign. She said she would deal with any further harassment by hiring an attorney.

Comments

[missouriwatcher]

05:10 PM on 07/30/2011

For goodness sake, legalize it!

[firewmn]

05:04 PM on 07/30/2011

guess that's why they call it .."Weed"..! - grows anywhere

[ellwood145]

08:05 PM on 07/28/2011

Gramma i told you it wasn't parsley

[nicko68]

11:25 AM on 07/28/2011

at first from the headline, I thought for sure it was Marion Barry

[steve42780]

09:54 AM on 07/28/2011

Not knowing should be no excuse. If you are in a friend's home, and they have marijuana in their home, you can be charged for it also. No knowing would not be considered a defense. The same policy should apply to public officials who make the nonsensical marijuana laws. It was on her property, she should be held responsible just like anyone else would be held responsible who doesn't know.

[island fever1]

12:18 AM on 07/28/2011

I'm suprised a couple of kids didn't knock on her door to offer to clean up her yard.

[Michele Kobus]

08:16 PM on 07/27/2011

I believe her because... when I was in College (run by nuns) one of my classmates grew some in her dorm room and forgot about it over a long summer break. The nun who oversaw the buildings had taken it out of her room, watered it regularly, fertilized it and presented it to her upon her return. She said " you forgot about this pretty little plant when you left, and I couldn't stand to let it die". She truly had no clue. I doubt this woman even knew it was there let alone what it was.

[kingjohn1956]

07:13 PM on 07/27/2011

Are you telling me she was not arrested simply cause she said it was not her pot.I tried that so many times an it never works.

[Silas Hull]

10:07 PM on 08/02/2011

same here. politicians should not get preferential treatment.

[soariation]

06:46 PM on 07/27/2011

There's a fine line between legitimate concern and idiocracy. I think that asking this mayor to step down after finding weed in the backyard crosses that line.

[tatashady]

05:58 PM on 07/27/2011

The great philosopher, Arthur Fonzarelli, once said, "There's no cool like an old cool."

[Virginia Robbins]

05:52 PM on 07/27/2011

84 years old. Probably doesn't know what marijuana looks like

[robear6987]

05:49 PM on 07/27/2011

why dont the cops go after real criminals and leave the pot smokers alone. oh thats right, its easyier to bust pot heads than crackheads and the cops would rather smoke good pot than crappy meth. give me a break harrasing old people who have pot, why dont you just go take candy from a baby you worthless police force.

[robear6987]

05:47 PM on 07/27/2011

ytj

[fire4adrymouth]

05:37 PM on 07/27/2011

Legalize it!

[noknrc]

05:16 PM on 07/27/2011

Who care if she grows it. just as long as she does not sell it to children or in fact sell it at all. This reminds me of a story. When I was married to my first wife back in the 70's. One of the employees that worked with me in an auto dealership. gave me some of the seeds from the plants he was growing in his bedroom window. I took the seeds home and decided to plant them in my vegetable garden amongst the tomato plants. They really started to grow nice to the point they were over a foot high. I came home to the message from my wife who did not work telling how she spent all afternoon weeding the garden and I should be proud of the job she did. She pulled up all the pot plants. She did not know what they were.