Matthew Santoni, The Examiner
2008-06-20 07:00:00.0
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BALTIMORE -

Members of Harford County’s environmentalist community lined up behind Bigfoot hunter Robert Chance, who is awaiting trial on charges of possessing marijuana with intent to distribute.

Chance, a former Bel Air town commissioner, teacher, environmental educator and keeper of Bigfoot lore, was indicted last month after a police search of his house recovered suspected marijuana plants and hallucinogenic mushrooms — enough to charge him with intent to distribute, according to State’s Attorney Joseph Cassilly.

“He’s done a lot more good than bad, if that’s all he’s done,” said Tom Close of Bel Air, who said he had worked both alongside and against Chance as a real estate developer. “I don’t think he’d ever distribute anything.”

Chance declined to comment, but his attorney, Gus Brown, said any plants the police recovered in their May 12 search appeared to be immature and had yet to be tested and confirmed as marijuana.

Lynn Mullins, who said she and her son participated in a nature camp run by Chance last summer, expressed surprise that the state was pursuing charges against him.

“I think the charges are a bad use of resources,” she said. “Bob Chance is not the kind of person who would put anybody at risk, or put the community at risk. His entire life has been spent in service of the community.”

Chance had been a Bel Air town commissioner in the late 1970s, helped create Harford County’s first recycling center, and has made a hobby of collecting stories and evidence of Bigfoot appearances in Maryland.

Some speculated the alleged presence of marijuana was related to Chance’s struggles with cancer and efforts to ease the pain. Maryland does not have laws permitting “medicinal” marijuana, but doctors use an FDA-approved synthetic version called Marinol to treat chemotherapy-induced nausea and lack of appetite.

Because the investigation was ongoing, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office could not release information on how much was seized from Chance’s Darlington tree farm and nursery, but Cassilly said the “intent to distribute” charges stemmed from the quantity of contraband, not the presence of money or packaging materials.

Chance is scheduled for an arraignment July 8.

msantoni@baltimoreexaminer.com