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1. Oakdale / He knew inspector was coming, kept his pot plants (56%) 03/03/2008 - Oscar Roger Quast wants his marijuana plants back. similar results By Nancy Yang nyang@pioneerpress.com

Oakdale / He knew inspector was coming, kept his pot plants

Grower says they're just for his health

By Nancy Yang
nyang@pioneerpress.com

Article Last Updated: 03/03/2008 11:34:56 PM CST

Oscar Roger Quast wants his marijuana plants back.

The two-time St. Paul mayoral candidate had them taken away after what was supposed to be a routine fire and rental inspection. Oakdale Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Wold picked Quast's apartment purely at random and came across the plants in a closet.

Quast was arrested later that day, Feb. 20. He told police he didn't think he was doing anything wrong.

"They're just plants," he said. "Just a couple of months, that's how old they were ... just little kids."

Quast said that he has health problems — part of his stomach was removed because of ulcers — and that he smokes marijuana so he doesn't feel sick. With money being tight, he decided he would try to grow his own stash.

"Me and my grandson, we're living on $800 a month," said Quast, a reader of High Times magazine.

According to an incident report, police also executed a search warrant at his home and found lights, fertilizer, rolling papers and a small amount of dry marijuana.

The case has been forwarded to the Washington County attorney's office for charges. Oakdale authorities said that this is the first time they have found a growing operation during inspections but that it's not uncommon to either smell or see marijuana joints during an inspection.

Quast might have gotten away with his growing operation if it hadn't been for his electrical cords.

During the inspection, Wold saw the cords going inside the closet.

cords don't normally run from the bedroom into the closet," Wold said. "I asked him what was in there, and he said, 'nothing.' " Quast gave police the real answer when they arrived. "I told them exactly why I was doing it ... that it helps me so much that I wanted to see if I could grow it," he said. Quast said that he knew Wold would be in the building that day but that he didn't do much to hide his plants. His apartment ended up being the first inspected. In Oakdale, 15 percent of the rental units on any site must be inspected. Quast, who ran for mayor in 1985 and 1993 but never made it past the primaries, maintains he's not a criminal. Past Pioneer Press articles show he was arrested for smuggling marijuana into the Stillwater prison and sentenced in 1982 to six months of jail time and probation. Now, Quast wants his plants returned. "I surely would like to have them back," Quast said. "But they're probably dead by now. Nobody's been taking care of them for the last two weeks." Return to Top

The Pioneer Press is happy to host community conversations about news and life in the Twin Cities. As hosts, we expect guests will show respect for each other. POST YOUR COMMENTS: Read all 18 comments » Sharon Scarrella Anderson AOL YES Ozzie ran for Mayor to resolve the "taking" of his North Oaks Propertys, Medical Overload of Iron, YES Ozzie and Decedant John Richardson Constitutional Jailhouse Lawyer, witness to the heinous "unpublished opinions" when Ozzie sued Dr. Framboni and St. Joseph's Hospital for Medical Malpractice, In good faith this Affiant also Mayoral Candidate verily believes that Ozzie has Marijuana medically prescribed READ THE UNPUBLISHED OPINION GRANDPA OZZIE HAPPY YOUR STILL ALIVE AND FIGHTING FOR ALL, YOUR A GREAT PERSON, LUV YA BROTHER Sure Miss John