Man Busted For Growing Pot After Finding Wife Dead

A Rockaway Township man was charged with maintaining a drug production facility Tuesday when he called police to his Sanders Road home after finding his wife dead inside, authorities said.

The cause of death of Donna Kent, 56, was under investigation Wednesday, but Acting Morris County Prosecutor Fredric Knapp said an autopsy showed no indication of foul play.

When police arrived at the house -- spurred by a 911 call from the woman's husband -- they smelled marijuana and applied for a search warrant, Knapp said in a release.

Police found 30 pot plants in the house, Knapp said, some of which were hidden behind false walls. Also, $10,000 cash, a handgun and two shotguns were found in the home, Knapp said.

"It included a lighting system, an irrigation system and a ventilation system," he said. "Quantities of harvested marijuana, packaging material, fertilizer, and other drug paraphernalia were also found."

Darren Kent, 52, was charged with maintaining a controlled dangerous substance production facility, a first-degree crime based on the number of pot plants allegedly found in the home. He was also charged with possession with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm while committing a controlled dangerous substance offense, Knapp said.

Kent was being held in the Morris County jail on $30,000 bail.

The value of the marijuana found in the home was about $94,000, the prosecutor's office said.