Guthrie County sheriff’s deputies went to the home of LaDonna Kennedy, 50, the mayor of Jamaica, Iowa, in the 500 block of First Avenue in January 2019 looking for a teenager suspected of shooting a woman in Ames.[1] The suspect was not in the house, but deputies outside detected an “overwhelming odor of raw marijuana” and requested a search warrant.[1]

Kennedy and her husband, Randy Kennedy, 58, were arrested and charged with manufacture with intent to deliver no more than 50 kilograms of marijuana, possession of a controlled substance and two counts of failure to affix a drug stamp.[1] Both were also charged with knowingly keeping a dwelling for possessing or selling a controlled substance, an aggravated misdemeanor.[1] Inside the house, deputies found 18 marijuana plants in various stages of growth spread over three growing areas, which the sheriff’s office described as a marijuana-grow operation.[1] Officers also took nine baggies estimated to hold roughly 4 to 5 ounces of marijuana, drug paraphernalia and an unlabelled bottle of 24 Lorazepam pills.[1] An affidavit reviewed by Newsweek said the paraphernalia was used for marijuana growing, sorting and packaging.[2]

The Kennedys were held in the Guthrie County jail and released on their own recognizance after a magistrate appearance the next day, having first been held on more than $18,000 bond.[1] Kennedy resigned as mayor after her arrest.[3]

Guthrie County court records show Kennedy pleaded guilty and was sentenced in October 2019 to two years’ probation under a deferred judgment, which can clear her record if she completes the probation.[3] Jamaica is a Guthrie County town of about 220 residents, and under Iowa law an elected city official convicted of a felony can be removed by a judge or a city council vote.[1]