Sunday, August 22, 1999

Caddo Parish Sheriff’s narcotics agents arrested a Vivian man and seized more than 230 marijuana plants he is charged with growing near his secluded home on Black Bayou Lake. The estimated street value of the seizure is more than $230,000.

At about 4:30 p.m. today, the agents arrested Amos Lynn Chiles, 33, of Vivian, and charged him with cultivating marijuana and possession of crack cocaine. He was booked at the Caddo Correctional Center at about 7:15 p.m., and is being held without bond.

The marijuana plants, some of them as tall as 17 feet, were found growing over about a 20-acre area behind Chiles’ home. The plants have been growing since at least last spring. The standard estimated value of a marijuana plant is $1,000, regardless of size.