Kentucky men plead guilty to growing marijuana in Iowa field

A Kentucky father and his son have pleaded guilty in an attempt to grow marijuana in an Iowa corn field.

Eugene C. Burnett, 59, and his son, Kelly E. Burnett, 28, both of Monticello, Ky., were convicted of conspiracy to grow or attempt to grow more than 100 marijuana plants. Authorities seized more than 1,900 marijuana plants that they said were connected to the Burnetts.

At a plea hearing in federal court, the Burnetts admitted they were unloading marijuana to plant in an Iowa County corn field on June 23, 2008 when a farmer approached them. As the farmer drove up, Eugene Burnett drove off with his son in the pickup bed, leaving behind other co-conspirators, authorities said.

Iowa County deputies found 465 marijuana plants in the ditch where the pickup had been parked. Another deputy stopped the pickup on Interstate 80 a short time later, and Eugene Barnett fled on foot, leaving his son behind with five more trays containing 506 marijuana plants.

Authorities found an additional 965 marijuana plants in a field nearby, after they discovered a map in a co-conspirator's hotel room that led them to that location.

A sentencing date has not been set. Both men remain in custody. They face a five-year minimum prison term. The maximum sentence is 40 years in prison and a $2 million fine for each.