Guns, pot plant seized at site of Lincoln pit collapse
Authorities confiscated a marijuana plant and firearms Monday from a Lincoln County property where a man was digging a deep hole that collapsed on two children, including his daughter.
Posted — UpdatedRescuers had been digging for the children since Sunday, when the girl's father, Jordan Arwood, called 911. Officials were on the scene within minutes but couldn't get to the children.
Later on Monday, sheriff's deputies removed firearms and the marijuana plant from the mobile home. The 31-year-old father is a felon who is not allowed to have guns. He was convicted in 2003 for possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell.
The father had been digging with a backhoe on the site earlier in the day, Sheriff David Carpenter said. He would not say what was being built or if Arwood was doing it alone or had professional help. He did say authorities didn't know of any permits that had been issued for the work or plans detailing the project.
Burleson described the pit as 20 feet by 20 feet with a sloped entrance leading down to the 24-foot bottom. The children were at the bottom of the pit retrieving a child-sized pickaxe when the walls fell in on them, Carpenter said.
He said his deputies would continue to investigate what happened.
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