Athens man gets 8 months jail in $2M marijuana bust

A 36-year-old Athens man will spend three years on probation and eight months in jail after investigators say they seized hundreds of marijuana plants valued at $2 million more than 3 years ago.

Bryan Arnold's sentencing was the result of a plea deal he reached with prosecutors in November.

The investigation began in 2014 after Arnold attempted to ship four ounces of marijuana to a home he owned in Kansas. Arnold reportedly told investigators he did not want to drive with the marijuana and thought shipping it would be a good idea.

According to the criminal complaint, a search warrant was executed at a home on the 800 block of Stueben Street in Wausau. Investigators believed due to the amount of marijuana discovered at Arnold's home, he was operating a grow somewhere within the county.

Detectives executed a search warrant at Arnold's parents' home. Inside the basement investigators found more than 500 marijuana plants .

According to the criminal complaint the operation was very extensive and involved elaborate lighting, irrigation, heating and ventilation that were hard-wired or plumbed permanently into the home's propane, electrical or plumbing systems.

Arnold was also ordered to pay a $5,000 fine plus court costs.

If he violates the terms of his probation, he could spend two years in prison.