Vermont District Court Judge Marilyn Skoglund dismissed charges of allegedly growing marijuana against College Mathematics Lecturer John Finn on May 31, due to lack of evidence.
John Finn, his son Forrest, his wife Holly, who is also known as "Jahni" Finn, and her live-in companion Carla Schauble were charged last November with growing 198 marijuana plants in their Thetford, Vt., home.
The charges against Forrest Finn were dismissed last year, but warrants for the arrest of Holly Finn and Schauble are still out, according to Orange County District Court, where Skoglund presides.
Finn said his lawyer, Charlie Buttrey, petitioned the court to have the charges dismissed against him three times because of insufficient evidence.
In January, at the time of the first petition, police testimony during the court hearings indicating the presence in the Thetford house of drug paraphernalia as well as receipts for items "bearing the initials of John Finn, Jahni Finn and/or Carla Schauble," which could be used to grow marijuana-like plant lights and water cans led to Skoglund's decision to allow the charges to remain.
But in May, Skoglund wrote that the receipts do not directly implicate Finn.
Finn, who denied his guilt from the outset, said he has not used marijuana for 30 years but also said he does not consider growing the hemp plant a crime.
Finn has characterized the episode as the result of the country's "so-called war on drugs," which he referred to as a "witch hunt."
Finn said he feels the charges were a "deliberate attempt to deprive me of my civil liberties."
Finn, who paid $5,000 to defend himself against the charge, said he has spoken with a local lawyer and the American Civil Liberties Union about filing charges against the state of Vermont.
