Michigan man tries to evade police pot raid in a canoe

Elmer Township, Mich. – An eastern Michigan man was arrested after attempting to evade police who raided a marijuana growing operation by paddling away in a canoe.

The Bay City Times reports that 60-year-old Hendrick J. Westers faces multiple drug and resisting arrest charges stemming from the Aug. 9 raid.

Police say he hopped in a canoe and paddled out onto a pond on his Sanilac County property, but eventually returned to land. Police say they discovered more than 700 pot plants blended in among other crops.

Michigan’s medical marijuana law allows licensed operations to grow a limited amount of medical cannabis. But police say Westers had no such permits and was growing a quantity that far surpassed the limit.

Westers, who was released on bail, could not be reached for comment Sunday.