A Franklin County man charged with trafficking in $2 million worth of marijuana is set to be released after family members posted property as bond.
Randy Kendall Sr., 49, 6505 Flat Creek Road, appeared in court Friday, bespectacled and bearded, as tearful family members looked on in hopes of his release.
Kendall's brother, J.W. Kendall, offered to post his property, along with Kendall's wife's property, valued at $180,000 in lieu of a $100,000 cash bond, Kendall's attorney David Guarnieri said in court.
Commonwealth's Attorney Larry Cleveland objected to the motion.
"I always object to someone posting a property bond as security for their appearance and good behavior pending trial," Cleveland told The State Journal.
"That puts us in the position of foreclosing on their real estate pending on his behavior."
Franklin County Circuit Judge Philip Shepherd sustained the request, allowing for Kendall's release.
As part of Kendall's conditional release, he must surrender his passport and submit to GPS-monitoring.
Kendall and his son, Randy Kendall Jr., 29, pleaded innocent to trafficking charges at an April 18 arraignment and were lodged in the Franklin County Regional Jail. The younger Kendall was released in April on a $10,000 cash bond.
The charges are a Class C felony, carrying a 5 to 10 year prison sentence.
The marijuana arrived in the U.S. from Mexico at the Port of Charleston, S.C. February 29, police reported, and the drugs were taken to Kendall's business, Kendall's Quick Lube, 1505 Daniel Drive in Lawrenceburg.
The Kendalls concealed the pot in bags of barium sulfate and loaded it onto a flatbed truck at the Lawrenceburg Quick Lube March 3, then delivered it to the senior Kendall's Flat Creek home, police reported.
Officers made the arrests later that night after watching Kendall and his son transfer the drugs from the truck to a nearby barn, they reported.
One of the largest sting operations in Kentucky history, the 1,200-lb. marijuana bust represents approximately one tenth of the marijuana seized in the state last year, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.
The marijuana was intercepted as a result of a joint investigation between Kentucky State Police, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the DEA, officials said.