Pictured (L-R): Randy Kennedy and Jamaica Mayor, Ladonna Kennedy
The mayor of a Guthrie County community and her husband have been arrested after law enforcement uncovered a marijuana grow operation while searching for a man wanted for attempted murder. According to the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office, authorities received a tip that Rodney Halterman was at a home in the 500 block of 1st Avenue in Jamaica, owned by Ladonna and Randy Kennedy. Halterman is accused of shooting a 19-year-old Ames woman in the chest earlier this month. Authorities executed a search warrant on Wednesday, Jan. 16 in search of the suspect and instead found 18 live marijuana plants and nine packages of drugs. The Kennedys were arrested and transported to the Guthrie County jail where they were charged with manufacturing with the intent to deliver marijuana, less than 50 kilograms, and two counts of failure to affix a drug tax stamp, class D felonies, knowingly keeping a dwelling for possessing or selling a controlled substance, an aggravated misdemeanor, and possession of a controlled substance, a serious misdemeanor. They were originally held on an $18,300 bond and released Thursday on their own recognizance after appearing before a magistrate.
