Fairbanks man sentenced to 10 years for growing pot

FAIRBANKS (AP) -- A Fairbanks man who pleaded guilty in federal court to having more than 300 marijuana plants on his property has been sentenced to 10 years and three months in prison.

William E. Kaiser Jr., 40, was arrested in December after law enforcement officials searched a warehouse on the Richardson Highway. According to court documents, officers found Kaiser, who was leasing the building, residing in a small corner of the structure. In the warehouse area they reportedly found 239 mature marijuana plants and an additional 100 starter plants. They also found a shotgun and a revolver.

Kaiser was charged in U.S. District Court with manufacturing a controlled substance and possession of a firearm in the furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. On Jan. 30, he agreed to plead guilty to the first charge, and on Jan. 31 he was found guilty of the second charge in a non-jury trial.

Kaiser's sentence was handed down Friday.