As they searched for a shooting suspect, Guthrie County deputies found 18 marijuana plants and drug paraphernalia in the home of a central Iowa mayor, authorities said.

LaDonna Kennedy, 50, the mayor of Jamaica, Iowa, and her husband, Randy Kennedy, 58, were charged with drug offenses, including 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.

Deputies and Sheriff Marty Arganbright went to the mayor's home at about 4:20 p.m. Wednesday in the 500 block of First Avenue in Jamaica in search of 18-year-old Rodney Halterman, whom police suspect shot a woman in the chest Saturday in Ames.

Greene County Sheriff Jack Williams had told Guthrie County authorities he had information Halterman may have been at the Kennedy residence, court records show.

Halterman, charged with attempted murder in Story County, was not found at the residence.

But deputies smelled an "overwhelming odor of raw marijuana" coming from the home as they stood outside knocking on the door, according to criminal complaints.

Because of the smell and information that Halterman might be at the house, the Guthrie County sheriff's office requested a search warrant, officials said. As they waited for the warrant, law enforcement surrounded the house.

Before the warrant was signed, Randy Kennedy came outside and was detained, according to complaints. As a deputy went inside with Kenndy to grab his coat, he admitted "nine plants" were in the basement, charging documents show.

Once the warrant was signed, officials found 18 marijuana plants in "various states of growth," with three areas for growing the plants, authorities said. In a statement, the sheriff's office said it had found "a marijuana-grow operation."

The sheriff's office also found nine baggies, containing roughly 4 to 5 ounces of marijuana, though that was a rough estimate, a deputy wrote in charging documents.

Drug paraphernalia was found, authorities said. An unlabeled bottle with 24 white pills identified as Lorazepam was also discovered, court records show.

The Kennedys were also charged with one count of knowingly keeping a dwelling for possessing or selling a controlled substance, an aggravated misdemeanor.

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At LaDonna Kennedy's initial appearance Thursday, the mayor waived her preliminary hearing. She did not yet have an attorney listed in court records who could be reached for comment.

The Kennedys also could not be reached for comment. A family member who answered the phone at their home, who declined to provide his name, said neither knew Halterman.

The Kennedys were initially held on more than $18,000 bond. They were released by a magistrate on their own recognizance Thursday, the sheriff's office said.

Jamaica, a Guthrie County city about 50 miles northwest of Des Moines, has a population of about 220 residents.

Under Iowa law, elected city officials convicted of felonies can be removed from office by a judge or by a city council vote.

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