Published April 5, 2010 01:07PM
Well, this had to be awkward: Police arrested well-known San Francisco Chronicle outdoors writer Tom Stienstra and his wife on suspicion of possession of marijuana for sale in the Northern California town of (wait for it) Weed, Calif. I’d write a punchline, but I’d say that pretty much takes care of it.
In an interesting twist, though, charges no charges were filed, pending an investigation by the sheriff’s department. Surprising, considering they found “a sophisticated marijuana cultivation operation in the barn” that included 60 marijuana plants, 11.1 pounds of processed marijuana, scales, and packaging materials. They also found medical marijuana recommendation papers for Stienstra, his wife Stephani Cruikshank, and her son.
The D.A. for Siskiyou County chose not to file any charges, and a spokesman for the office told the San Francisco Chronicle “the whole thing is under review.” The Chronicle, for its part, has affirmed support for Stienstra.
“There are no charges filed, and we know very little about the allegations against Tom and hope it is resolved quickly,” (Chronicle Editor and Executive Vice President Ward) Bushee said. “In the meantime, we will continue to publish his popular outdoor reports in the Sporting Green.”
Sporting Green? San Francisco CHRONICle? Get it? Ha h—ok, fine, I give up. Nothing’s going to top Weed, Calif.