Crooked Tree Man Fined $6K for Cannabis Cultivation and Ammunition Possession

A Crooked Tree couple appeared in court yesterday to face drug and ammunition charges after police found cannabis plants and live rounds of ammunition at their home over the weekend. Twenty-nine-year-old Henry E. Westby and his common-law wife, Shanice Phillippa Estrada, were charged with cultivation of cannabis and possession of ammunition. In court, Henry Westby, on the advice of his lawyer, pleaded guilty to both charges. The charges against his common-law-wife Shanice Estrada were withdrawn by the prosecution.  Westby’s lawyer told the court that his client, a shopkeeper and fisherman, is an upstanding member of his community, a father of three children, and took ownership for his actions by pleading guilty. The lawyer asked the court to impose a fine, rather than a custodial sentence, on Westby. For the cannabis cultivation charge, the magistrate fined Westby three thousand dollars. The magistrate noted that the offense carries a similar penalty to drug trafficking and pointed out that the four cannabis plants found in Westby’s yard had already started producing seeds. The plants measured between 42 and 57 inches in height. For the possession of ammunition charge, Westby was fined an additional three thousand dollars. The police report stated that four live rounds of ammunition were found in the house: three 9mm rounds and one 16-gauge shotgun cartridge. Westby was given until October 31 to pay the total six-thousand-dollar fine, or he will face one year in prison for each charge.