WINNEBAGO, Minn. — Charges allege Winnebago’s mayor and his son had an illegal cannabis growing operation in the southern Minnesota city of 1,300.
Mayor Scott Robertson, 67, and Jacob Robertson, 46, face two felonies related to unlawful cultivation of cannabis plants and two felonies related to aiding and abetting and conspiracy in Faribault County District Court.
A criminal complaint filed against them Friday states that investigators reported finding 240 cannabis plants growing at Winnebago properties owned by the Robertsons. Under last year’s new state law legalizing recreational use of cannabis, Minnesota allows up to eight plants to be legally grown at home, as long as no more than four are mature.
The mayor didn’t respond to requests for comment left on his phone and email as of late Monday.
The complaint alleges he told police his son might have eight plants at a property on Main Street. He reportedly denied any plants were growing at another property on 340th Avenue before later saying he had planted 200 in greenhouses.
The father and son previously had a licensed hemp cultivating operation in the city, according to the complaint. The license expired in December, though they reportedly hadn’t registered any hemp plants with the state since 2021.
Hemp by law is defined as seeds and plants with a THC concentration below 0.3%. Plants on the Robertson properties, according to the complaint, matched strains with THC content between 29-32%.
Scott Robertson…