Ernie's Place: And you thought Marijuana was harmless... A sobering perspective.
Related: Other posts... Cristina's Diesel dope redux and... (previously linked) Kym - Talking with Tom: An Interview with Mendocino County Sheriff, Tom Allman
Allman’s Plans: Part ll of an Interview with the Mendocino County Sheriff
Medo Fire Captain's home =
ReplyDelete648 plants and a pound of pot stored. "with in p215" (I thought mendo's p215 was 25 plants w/tags? As of August 6, 2007 =
http://www.mendocinosheriff.com/services/prop215/ziptieqa.html
Guess when your the fire captin stuff like that doesn't apply to you. We'll see? Say Rose why didn't you post on this, bet you if it was one of Gag's freinds it would have made the Rose(y) head lines! ...
Sorry just call them like I see them ... DT
Marijuana charges against fire captain reduced
By BEN BROWN The Daily Journal
Ben Brown can be reached at udjbb@pacific.net
Article Last Updated: 08/09/2008 12:03:17 AM PDT
http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/ci_10148166
One defendant was released and another will face only one of three possible charges related to a marijuana garden found at the home of a former Ukiah Fire Department captain.
UFD Capt. Terry Israel, her son Eric Weston and Victor Villalobos were all cited on suspicion of cultivation of marijuana, possession of marijuana for sale and maintaining a place for the production of a controlled substance on Jan. 18 after officers seized more than 600 marijuana plants from Israel's home at 740 Canyon Court in Ukiah.
On Friday, following a preliminary hearing, Mendocino County Superior Court Judge Cindee Mayfield found that Villalobos could not be held to face any charges in the case and that Israel will only face charges that she maintained a place for the production of a controlled substance.
Mayfield ordered that Weston stand trial on all three charges.
Mendocino County sheriff's deputies found the 648 plants on Jan. 18 while searching the home for Ashley Weston, who had a warrant out for her arrest.
The bulk of the plants, 604, were "clones" no taller than two inches, said Special Agent Robert Moore. The rest were plants standing two-feet tall that were in a closed off room that Weston said he had built as a grow room, Moore testified Friday.
Officers also seized just under a pound of dried marijuana from a cabinet in the garage, Moore said.
Moore testified that, when Eric Weston and Villalobos arrived at the house, Villalobos presented police with a medical marijuana recommendation and told officers that Eric Weston had been growing medical marijuana for him.
Villalobos told officers he was using around an ounce of marijuana per week to treat pain from an ankle injury he suffered nine years ago.
Moore testified that, at the time of the arrest, Mendocino County law allowed a medical marijuana patient or caregiver to grow 100 square feet of canopy's worth of marijuana and possess up to two pounds at a time. Moore said he did not know exactly what the canopy on Canyon Road measured, but said he felt the garden was out of compliance.
Eric Weston also told officers he was growing marijuana for Villalobos and that this was his third grow in the garage on Canyon Court. Moore testified that Eric Weston told officers he had grown 55 ounces of marijuana last year and given most of it to Villalobos, though Moore said Eric Weston did say he had given some of it away to friends.
Moore said officers did not find any scales, bags or large amounts of cash in the Canyon Road house, things he said are often associated with commercial marijuana grows. Moore testified that Eric Weston told officers he was growing the marijuana without being paid.
Moore testified he thought it unlikely anyone would do that because of the expense in terms of materials, time and money.
"The amount of the PG&E bill was just shy of $1,100" a month, Moore said.
During an interview with Israel, Moore said she told officers she was aware of the marijuana garden in her garage but said she had been told it was for medical use and was being grown in compliance with local medical marijuana laws. Moore testified that no statements were made by any of the defendants that Israel was ever seen cultivating or possessing marijuana, and that no marijuana was found in her direct possession.
Israel and her son are both scheduled to appear for arraignment at 10 a.m. Aug. 19 in courtroom H.
Didn't know about it, DT, but I'm happy to post it. Thanks for the heads up.
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