Armed scarecrow no match for police in marijuana bust, cops say

Police were reportedly undeterred by an armed scarecrow while searching an illegal marijuana field in Navarro County, Texas. (Navarro County Sheriff's Office)

Texas police were unfazed when they encountered a peculiar diversion tactic during a search on an illegal marijuana growing operation.

The Navarro County Sheriff’s Offices' SWAT Team and Narcotics unit were executing a search warrant on a “heavily wooded area” near Richland when they encountered an armed scarecrow, police say.

Officers described seeing a “fully dressed figure lying in a hammock appearing to be armed, holding an assault type rifle appearing to provide security for the location.”

Approximately 10,000 marijuana plants, some upwards of 6 feet tall, were seized by police near Richland, Texas, officials said. (Navarro County Sheriff's Office)

Through the investigation, officials discovered approximately 10,000 marijuana plants, some as high as 6 feet tall, in a marijuana field spanning nearly 5 acres, police reported.

The complex operation also had water pumps and portable generators at the site, according to officials.

Police located the marijuana field using drone surveillance after receiving an anonymous tip of suspicious activity 250 yards west of the Texas Department of Transportation Navarro County Safe Rest Area on South I-45, officers said on a Facebook post.

The illegal marijuana growing operation reportedly had water pumps and generators. (Navarro County Sheriff's Office)

Authorities say the site was so hidden that a bulldozer was required to gain access and bring in their equipment.

Some of the marijuana was already being harvested and processed at the time of the search, police say.

This bust comes after the NCSO’s bust in June, where authorities seized more than 17,000 marijuana plants in southern Navarro County.