Two charged after large Clark County pot bust

Two men have been charged in connection with the largest marijuana bust in Clark County history, Sheriff Gene Kelly said.

After shutting down five grow houses during raids on seven properties Wednesday, deputies worked into the evening to count all the contraband. The total came to 538 hydroponically grown plants worth more than $1 million.

“We’ve been working this for several months,” Kelly said. “It was a very large operation.”

The investigation that began with a tip from a traffic stop led to the arrest of Robert Leroy Nock, 55, and Nicholas Robert Rigel, 37.

They were each charged with trafficking in drugs and illegal manufacture/cultivation of drugs, third-degree felonies.

Both men pleaded not guilty to those charges Thursday in Clark County Municipal Court. Rigel posted bond and was released from the Clark County Jail, but Nock remained behind bars Thursday with bond set at $5,000.

The sheriff’s office, in cooperation with the Springfield Police Division, the Regional Agencies Narcotics & Gun Enforcement Task Force and Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations, conducted raids at six houses and one storage building.

“This is the highest grade cannabis that you can get,” Kelly said, noting the volume being grown was clearly not for local consumption. The investigation is ongoing, he said, and more arrests are possible.

Each plant has an estimated value of $2,000, according to the sheriff’s office. The drugs and other items including cash, firearms, equipment and vehicles were confiscated during raids conducted at the following locations:

•826 Sylvan Shores Drive, Harmony Twp.

•709 Mayhill Drive, Springfield.

•310 Villa Road, Moorefield Twp.

•1028 Wheel St., Springfield.

•4303 Detrick Jordan Road, German Twp.

•1811 Hillside Ave., Springfield.

•48 E. Madison St., Springfield.

Anyone with information about the case is urged to call the sheriff’s office at 937-328-2560.