“I believe that he truly wanted to help cancer victims,” she said. “So that’s what he was completely consumed with, was the cultivation of those plants.”
She said he initially told her that he was growing hemp, which he claimed was legal in Georgia for the purposes of extracting CBD oil. But she later observed that the plants had “crystals,” indicating THC. She implored him to get a permit, but he claimed he couldn’t because he didn’t own the rights to the genetics of the seeds.
She said he spent $60,000 to $80,000 transforming the basement into a sophisticated grow operation. Her electric bills skyrocketed, she added, recalling a month in which she paid $860. The owner of a roofing business, she said she owned the house and paid all the bills but worried that the expenses would bankrupt her.
After a violent argument in which Turner kicked her in the stomach while he was lying on the bed, she obtained a three-week protection order. Her daughter had overheard the argument, and that was the “last straw,” she said.
During this time, they were seeing two marriage counselors, which helped “big time,” but she grew increasingly distressed about the marijuana plants, eventually asking one of the counselors to convince Turner to take them out of the house.
“I cannot live with these plants in the house anymore,” she told the counselor. “I can’t sleep. I can’t eat. I can’t function. I’m scared to death that the cops are going to come and find all…
