Prosecutor: Man Had 33 Pot Plants in Home, Nearby Township Park

A 44-year-old man was found with more than 30 marijuana plants—with an estimated street value of $90,000—growing in his Martinsville home and in a nearby park, the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office said.

Michael Maslo was charged with second-degree manufacturing marijuana, second-degree possession of marijuana with intent to distribute in a park zone, third-degree possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia.

According to a statement released Friday, Bernards Township Police detectives set up surveillance Wednesday morning in the area of Mountain Park. The detectives observed Maslo exit his Long Road residence and was seen tending to marijuana plants growing in the park, the prosecutor's office said.

Detectives from the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Organized Crime and Narcotics Task Force as well as members from the Bridgewater and Bernards police departments executed a search warrant Thursday of Maslo's residence, the prosecutor's office said.

Approximately 200 grams of marijuana, three marijuana plants, drug paraphernalia and $1,225 in cash was seized from the home, the prosecutor's office said. Five additional plants were seized from Maslo's backyard, the prosecutor's office said.

An additional 25 marijuana plants were found in the area of Mountain Park where Maslo was observed on Wednesday, the prosecutor's office said.

Maslo was held at the Somerset County Jail in lieu of $75,000 bail.