By BEN BROWN/The Daily Journal
Article Last Updated: 02/26/2008 10:22:17 AM PST
Memo Parker was arrested on marijuana charges Monday after a search of his Garden's avenue properties revealed close to 300 marijuana plants and more than 30 pounds of dried marijuana.
Ukiah Police Department Officers, working with members of the Mendocino Major Crimes Task Force served a search warrant on houses at 106 and 130 Garden's Avenue Monday after receiving repeated complaints from Parker's neighbors, said UPD Chief Chris Dewey.
"They had a enough probable cause to serve a search warrant," Dewey said.
Officers seized 297 adult marijuana plants from the house as well as 34 pounds of dried marijuana.
"One house had been completely converted into a grow facility," Dewey said.
Parker was arrested on suspicion of possession of marijuana for sale and cultivation of marijuana.
The house at 130 Gardens Avenue had been completely converted for marijuana processing, Dewey said. Half the rooms were set up to grow marijuana and the other half were being used to dry and process marijuana, Dewey said.
Parker was also growing marijuana in a shed in the back yard of 106 Gardens Avenue next door. Dewey said electricity had been diverted from 130 Gardens Avenue over the fence to power grow lights in the shed. Dewey said there are pending charges of building code violations against Parker from the City of Ukiah because of the electricity diversion.
Dewey said the electricity to 130 Gardens Avenue was shut off by the city Monday because of the electricity diversion.
When confronted by officers, Parker told them he presented one medical marijuana recommendation and said he was growing the marijuana for the Green Cross medical marijuana collective in San Francisco.
"He told the officers he was growing it and selling it," Dewey said.
Under Mendocino County law, a medical marijuana patient can only grow 25 plants per parcel. California State law allows medical marijuana patients to grow medical marijuana for other medical marijuana patients.
This is Parker's second brush with the law over marijuana. In October of 2006, Parker was arrested on suspicion of cultivation of marijuana for sale and possession of marijuana for sale after a search warrant served on the same two Gardens Avenue homes turned up 190 adult marijuana plants, 262 smaller "clone" marijuana plants and 170 pounds of dried marijuana, according to police reports.
Parker's brother, Mark Parker, was also arrested in the October 2006 raid and both were tried on marijuana charges. The trial ended in a hung jury and has been rescheduled for April 21, 2008.
Mark Parker was not arrested Monday.
Man arrested for pot, again
ReplyDeleteBy GLENDA ANDERSON
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Less than two months before his trial for cultivation of marijuana for sale, a Ukiah man was arrested again Monday with almost 300 marijuana plants growing in his house and more than 30 pounds of processed marijuana.
Memo Parker, 37, has been a thorn in the side of his neighbors and a reason cited by Ukiah officials when they implemented pot ordinances limiting to 12 the amount of medical marijuana that can be grown per parcel.
“It’s a good example of why we have the ordinances,” said Ukiah Police Chief Chris Dewey.
Neighbors for years have complained about the overwhelming stench of marijuana gardens and voiced concern about violence after a would-be marijuana thief shot Parker in the hand in 2004.
Parker was arrested on pot cultivation and sales charges in 2006, but his 2007 trial ended in an 11-1 hung jury.
The District Attorney’s Office refiled the charges and he’s scheduled for a new jury trial in April.
The warrant served on Parker’s home Monday stemmed from neighbor complaints and from his electrical usage, which was about six times what would be normal for his home, said Mendocino Major Crimes Task Force Commander Bob Nishiyama.
Parker was booked Monday on suspicion of marijuana cultivation, cultivation for sale and committing a new offense while on bail.
He’s being held on $100,000 bail. Before he makes bail, he must prove the money does not come from illegal endeavors, Nishiyama said.
http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/article/20080226/NEWS/609487122
Pot raid on Gardens Ave.
ReplyDeleteBy BEN BROWN The Daily Journal
Article Last Updated: 02/27/2008 08:49:04 AM PST
Law enforcement officers served a search warrant on Memo Parker's home Monday afternoon, seizing close to 300 plants and arresting Parker on possession and cultivation charges under circumstances similar to a raid on the same two houses more than a year ago.
Officers with the Mendocino Major Crimes Task Force, accompanied by Ukiah Police Department officers, served search warrants on Parker's homes at 106 Gardens Ave. and 130 Gardens Ave. Monday afternoon.
MMCTF Commander Bob Nishiyama said the search warrants were the result of repeated complaints from neighbors as well as a review of records of electrical usage, which Nishiyama said were six times higher than typical for a home.
"His meter was spinning off the wall," Nishiyama said.
"They had enough probable cause to serve a search warrant," UPD Chief Chris Dewey said.
Officers seized 297 adult marijuana plants as well as 34 pounds of dried marijuana.
When confronted by officers, Parker presented one medical marijuana recommendation and said he was growing the marijuana for the Green Cross medical marijuana collective in San Francisco, Dewey said.
"He admits he drove marijuana to San Francisco in his $60,000 BMW M3," Nishiyama said.
Senate Bill 420 allows people to act as caretakers and grow medical marijuana for people with valid recommendations.
In the city of Ukiah, a medical marijuana patient can legally possess six mature marijuana plants or 12 immature marijuana plants, as well as up to
eight-ounces of dried marijuana.
Parker was arrested on suspicion of possession of marijuana for sale and cultivation of marijuana.
Dewey said the house at 130 Gardens Ave. had been completely converted for marijuana growing and processing. Half the rooms were set up to grow marijuana, and the other half were being used to dry and process marijuana, Dewey said.
Parker was also growing marijuana in a shed in the back yard of 106 Gardens Ave. next door. Dewey said electricity had been diverted from 130 Gardens Ave. through the fence to power grow lights in the shed.
Dewey said the electricity to 130 Gardens Ave. was shut off by the city Monday because of the electricity diversion.
This is Parker's second brush with the law over marijuana. In October of 2006, he was arrested on suspicion of cultivation of marijuana for sale and possession of marijuana for sale after a search warrant served on the same two Gardens Avenue homes turned up 190 adult marijuana plants, 262 smaller "clone" marijuana plants and 170 pounds of dried marijuana, according to UPD reports.
Parker's brother, Mark Parker, was also arrested in the October 2006 raid and both were tried on marijuana charges. The trial ended in a hung jury in August 2007 and a second trial has been scheduled for April 21.
Mark Parker was not arrested Monday, and additional charges have not been levied against him.
J. David Nick, Memo Parker's attorney, said Parker's Monday arrest was an outrage.
"This is part of what I consider the Mendocino County District Attorney's Office attempt to quash the people's right to collectively grow medical marijuana," Nick said.
Nick said he expected the April 21 trial to end in a hung jury or an acquittal. He said he would be representing Parker pro-bono on these latest charges.
Ben Brown can be reached at udjbb@pacific.net.
http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/ci_8379370
Busted again, 2 months before pot trial
ReplyDeleteBy GLENDA ANDERSON
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Less than two months before his trial for cultivation of marijuana for sale, a Ukiah man was arrested again, this time with nearly 300 marijuana plants and more than 30 pounds of processed marijuana, police said.
Memo Parker, 37, was booked Monday on suspicion of marijuana cultivation, cultivation for sale and committing a new offense while on bail.
Parker's alleged illegal endeavors have been a neighborhood scourge and a reason cited by Ukiah officials when they implemented ordinances limiting to 12 the number of medical marijuana plants that can be grown per parcel and banning pot from being grown outdoors.
"It's a good example of why we have the ordinances," said Police Chief Chris Dewey.
It's also an example of the type of abuse of medicinal marijuana laws that has fueled a backlash against commercial pot growers in Mendocino County, said Cathy Puterbaugh, one of Parker's neighbors and a supporter of efforts to limit commercial pot production.
Neighbors in Parker's quiet west Ukiah neighborhood for years have complained about the overwhelming stench from his marijuana gardens and voiced concerns about violence after a would-be marijuana thief shot Parker in the hand in 2004.
But state and local regulations allowing for medicinal pot production stalled enforcement action.
Parker, who says he grows pot for medical use, continued to produce large amounts, even after being charged with cultivation and sales in 2006, according to law enforcement.
At that time, he and his brother, who lived next door but has since moved, possessed 193 mature plants in their back yards, 252 starter plants indoors and 106 grams of concentrated cannabis, said Police Capt. Justin Wyatt.
But their 2007 trial ended in an 11-1 hung jury.
The District Attorney's Office refiled the charges against Parker and scheduled a new jury trial in April.
The warrant served on Parker's home Monday stemmed from ongoing neighbor complaints and from his electrical usage, which was about 6,000 kilowatts per month -- six times what would be normal for his home, said Commander Bob Nishiyama of the Mendocino Major Crimes Task Force.
That, combined with haphazard wiring in and around the home, created a fire hazard, he said.
In addition to marijuana, law enforcement agents seized Parker's BMW M-3 convertible, valued at more than $60,000 and purchased just before his trial last year, Nishiyama said.
Parker was being held in the Mendocino County Jail on $100,000 bail. Before he makes bail, he must prove the money does not come from illegal endeavors, Nishiyama said.
You can reach Staff Writer Glenda Anderson at 462-6473 and glenda.anderson@pressdemocrat.com.
http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/article/20080227/NEWS/802270387/1033/NEWS01
Marijuana defendant posts bail
ReplyDeleteBy BEN BROWN The Daily Journal
Article Last Updated: 03/05/2008 08:21:35 AM PST
Memo Parker was released on bail Tuesday, over the objections of Deputy District Attorney James Nerli.
Parker has been in jail since his Feb. 25 arrest on suspicion of marijuana possession and cultivation. He had been barred from posting bail until he could prove that the money was not the result of criminal activity.
Bond was posted by Ananda Borden, a childhood friend of Parker's. Borden said he would pay the bond with a credit card.
"He would not be getting any funds from Memo Parker or from any illegal activities," said attorney E. D. Lehrman, who was making a special appearance for Parker Tuesday.
Borden is unemployed and lives off of investments that he inherited from his grandparents and great-grandparents. He said he was not involved in the growing or sale of medical marijuana and did not use medical marijuana.
Bail bondsman Grace Gault testified that she had already run Borden's credit card and that she was satisfied with the payment.
Borden said he did not own any property that could be used as collateral, but Gault said her company would accept Parker's Gardens Avenue homes as collateral for the bail payment, despite the fact that there is currently a lien against the property.
Nerli objected to the use of that property as collateral.
"Those houses were purchased with the proceeds from the sale of illicit marijuana," he said.
Bail bond companies cannot use property purchased with the proceeds of a crime as collateral, Nerli said.
At the time of his arrest, Nerli said Parker admitted that the sale of marijuana was his only occupation.
Lehrman argued that Nerli had presented no evidence that the Gardens Avenue homes were bought with drug money, noting that Parker was receiving worker's compensation payments when one of the homes was purchased.
Mendocino Superior Court Judge David Nelson was prepared to rule against allowing Borden to pay Parker's bond based on the use of the Gardens Avenue homes as collateral, but Gault retook the stand and testified she would be willing to accept Borden's payment without collateral.
Parker was released on $75,000 bail, and is ordered to appear in court on March 18 to discuss who will represent him at trial.
He was arrested Feb. 25 on suspicion of possession of marijuana for sale and cultivation of marijuana after officers seized 297 marijuana plants and 34 pounds of dried marijuana during the service of a search warrant, according to police reports.
This is Parker's second brush with the law. In October of 2006, he and his brother, Mark Parker, were arrested on marijuana cultivation charges. The case ended in mistrial and has been rescheduled for April 21.
Ben Brown can be reached at udjbb@pacific.net.
http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/ci_8462084