Owners of Oklahoma hemp store plead not guilty to pot charge

PAULS VALLEY, Okla. (AP) – The owners of a legal hemp store in southern Oklahoma have pleaded not guilty to accusations of growing marijuana inside their home.

Garvin County District Court records indicate cultivation of a controlled substance and other charges were filed Monday against 36-year-old Joshua Michael Bishop and 38-year-old Kerri Leigh Bishop.

Records show the Bishops entered not guilty pleas Monday. Their attorney, Billy Vandever of Pauls Valley, didn’t immediately return a telephone call seeking comment.

The Bishops were arrested Saturday after sheriff’s deputies say they found marijuana plants and a cultivation system at the couple’s home outside Pauls Valley. Authorities recovered 65 marijuana plants, smoking devices and weighing scales.

Deputies also executed a search warrant Monday at the couple’s Pauls Valley business and seized hemp-related items to determine compliance with state law.