Leon "Bud" Hotchkiss of Baldwin County, 68 when Alabama Appleseed wrote about him in October 2023, was accused of growing marijuana on his own property after a tip led a drug task force to the plants. About 2,600 grams (5.7 pounds) was found, which the article says is at the low end of the range supporting a Class A felony trafficking charge.
He entered a blind plea and a judge sentenced him to 40 years in 2012, after a 15-year plea offer had expired. Parole was denied in February 2023, with the next hearing set five years out. As of October 2023 he was at the Loxley Work Release Center and employed, and the DA's office declined a June 2023 request to review the sentence.
Why it matters: The amount is above the small-scale cases we usually lead with, but a 40-year term for plants grown on his own property, and a DA's refusal to review it, is why it is included.
Source: Alabama Appleseed, 2023-10-03. Forgotten Prisoner's account is based on this reporting.