A retired Georgia man, Dwayne Perry, got the worst surprise of his life on Wednesday, October first when a Georgia State Drug Enforcement helicopter flew low over his home prompting a rush of Police cars driving onto his property.
What brought all the law enforcement agents out were the tall Okra plants growing on Mr. Perry’s property, which was mistaken from the air as Cannabis. Okra has some similar characteristics as Cannabis, but the biggest difference is leaf count. Okra has five leaves and Cannabis has seven.
Mr. Perry did receive an apology on site from the law enforcement agency for the mix up after they realized the plants were Okra but Mr. Perry was still upset thinking about what could have happened as the officers were “armed to the teeth” and could have caused him serious harm or injury.
The Okra plants were shown next to a picture of Cannabis showcasing the different leaf count and structure. Captain Kermit Stokes told the local news channel that they were not sure what the plant was but the plant shared several characteristics to Cannabis. Another apology was issued to Mr. Perry stating the Police department was trying to do their jobs and it was not their intent to upset Mr. Perry.
Mr. Perry stated that he has been receiving calls from neighbors and is worried that his reputation has been damaged by the unwarranted attention.