A central Virginia man has been acquitted of a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge stemming from what civil liberties attorneys call a SWAT team-like raid on his land.

The Rutherford Institute says 54-year-old Philip Cobbs was cleared by an Albemarle County Circuit Court jury Wednesday.

Lawyers for the institute claimed police violated Cobbs' 4th Amendment rights when they conducted helicopter surveillance and a warrantless raid on his 38-acre property in July 2011 and found two plants they claimed to be marijuana. Cobbs denied any knowledge of the plants.

Rutherford president John Whitehead calls the acquittal a victory for both Cobbs and the 4th Amendment.