There was so much weed.
DPD Lt. Jamie Johnson holds up several large marijuana plants outside of the Dalton Police Services Center as they were being processed as evidence.The smell of a party-college dorm wafted through Dalton Police Department headquarters Tuesday as investigators bagged 30-40 pounds of marijuana.
"There was so much weed," said Bruce Frazier, spokesman for the police department. "Just from being in our evidence room, the entire building smells like it right now. Fortunately, my office is cut off from the main building."
Frazier said police discovered the drug Monday night when an anonymous caller told them to visit Rodney Christopher Swank's doublewide trailer at 3234 Headrick Circle.
Arriving officers said they could smell the marijuana from 30 feet away, according to a news release.
"The plant was growing and very fresh," Frazier said. "It gives off a pungent odor."
Inside, after obtaining a search warrant, investigators found 4 pounds of packaged marijuana - along with rows of the plant growing in the master bathroom and closet, Frazier said. Officers said they also found a .40-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun and a .22-caliber rifle.
Police charged Swank with manufacturing marijuana, possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute, possession of tools for the commission of a crime and possession of a firearm while committing a crime.
Frazier said Swank could face more charges.
Frazier said there are no other suspects in the case now, and the operation seemed to be part of a one-man business.
If Swank has made big money selling marijuana, officers did not find evidence of that Monday night.
"It's not like there were stacks and stacks of cash," Frazier said.
To leave an anonymous tip for Dalton police, call 706-278-9085, dial 9 and enter Ext. 221.
Contact staff writer Tyler Jett at tjett@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6476.