FARMINGTON — A Canton man pleaded guilty in Franklin County Superior Court onTuesday to a misdemeanor charge of growing more than five marijuana plants.

Vance Billings, 34, formerly of Carthage also pleaded no contest to violating conditions of release in a separate case.

Billings was scheduled for a jury trial Wednesday but he and his attorney, Margot Joly, reached an agreement with Assistant District Attorney Andrew Robinson.

The agreement dismisses a felony charge of unlawful possession of scheduled drug and two misdemeanor charges of violating a protective order and theft by unauthorized taking.

Billings was charged as a co-defendant when Franklin County Sheriff’s deputies discovered a  room outfitted with high energy growing lights, fans and a carbon filtering device being used to grow 74 marijuana plants in a Carthage Road residence in Carthage in February, police previously said.

Justice Michaela Murphy sentenced Billings on Tuesday to 120 days in Franklin County jail on the cultivation charge and credited him with time served. He was sentenced to seven days in jail concurrent on the violation of release charge and also credited for time served.

He was ordered to pay a mandatory minimum fine of $400.

Billings has spent six and a half months in jail awaiting trial, Joly said.

Joly also said that Billings wanted to inform the court that he has been emotionally and physically abused while in jail in another county.

dperry@sunjournal.com

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