Ellicott City man sentenced to home detention for growing marijuana

Richard Kyle Marriott, 44, whose indoor marijuana farm was discovered by Howard County police and fire officials after an Elkridge man fatally crashed his car into Marriott's Ellicott City home, was sentenced to six months of home detention on Tuesday, Aug. 2.

Howard County Circuit Court Judge Diane O. Leasure's sentence was on the low end of the sentencing guidelines, which called for between six and 18 months of incarceration.

Leasure also ordered Marriott to pay a $1,500 fine and placed him on three years probation.

After a Dec. 10, 2010 single-vehicle crash which started a fire in Marriott's house and resulted in the death of the driver, 20-year-old Bryan Thomas Bolster, firefighters went inside the house to assess the damage. There, they discovered 20 large marijuana plants and sophisticated growing supplies, according to police.

Marriott pleaded guilty May 4 to manufacturing marijuana. Though Marriott was additionally charged with possession and distribution of marijuana, those charges were dropped as a result of the plea.

Howard County Assistant State's Attorney Les Gross advocated a sentence "in the middle of the guidelines," characterizing Marriott's home as a "sophisticated grow operation" rather than "a simple situation where two to three plants are growing in pots on a deck."

But defense attorney Leonard Shapiro said that Marriott used the drug as a medical substance, even though he didn't have permission from a doctor and medical marijuana is illegal in Maryland.

"He has diabetes and he has glaucoma," Shapiro said in an interview. "He was using the marijuana to alleviate the symptoms."