Man shot, marijuana plants seized near Iron Peak subdivision

Ukiah Daily Journal Staff

Article Last Updated: 06/10/2008 10:59:36 AM PDT

The Daily Journal

At around 11:30 a.m. Sunday, the Mendocino County Sheriff Dispatch received a call from the Iron Peak subdivision about a shooting that had taken place in a wooded area.

The victim, Roy Joseph Wentz Jr., 44, of Laytonville was reported to be shot in the arm and in need of medical treatment. Fire rescue responded and learned that Wentz had been shot in the arm and was flown to Santa Rosa Memorial hospital due to the extent of injuries, according to a statement issued by the Mendocino County Sheriff's Department.

During the investigation, it was discovered the victim had been visiting friends in the area and had gone for a walk. He was returned a short while later by a unidentified subject who advised he had found the victim shot. His friends then summoned help and took him to meet rescue personnel.

A search of the area was conducted by responding deputies and a possible crime scene was discovered. From this scene, evidence of the shooting and 150 marijuana plants were recovered and seized.

Wentz was at last report in and out of surgery and the case remains under investigation.

MCSO detectives are interested in speaking with the unknown person who brought the victim to his friends. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Mendocino County Sheriff's Detectives at 463-4411.

National Forest Visitors Advised To Watch Out For Illegal Marijuana Gardens

News Release

US Forest Service
Mendocino National Forest

Public Affairs Officer
Phebe Brown
Phone: (530) 934-1137
Fax: (530) 934-7384
Email: pybrown@fs.fed.us

Willows, May 13, 2008 - Nearly a quarter million illegal marijuana plants were seized on the Mendocino National Forest last year and the prime growing period is now beginning, prompting national forest officials to advise the public to be especially vigilant when visiting the forest.

"We want the public to be aware that this illegal activity and occupation is taking place if they encounter marijuana gardens on the national forest," Tom Contreras, Forest Supervisor, said.

Illegal marijuana growing is an increasing problem on public lands in California. National Forest System lands are becoming increasingly used for growing and harvesting illegal marijuana gardens and these operations can potentially present a safety hazard to forest visitors and employees.

Most of the marijuana gardens are in remote locations. The national forest has vast and mostly uninhabited lands with many areas of rich, fertile soil and a climate that provides the necessary conditions for growing marijuana. Plants are put into the ground between May and June and harvested in late September through November.

"If a private citizen comes upon something suspicious, don't enter the area; just leave and notify local law enforcement authorities immediately," Julie Lombard, Forest Service Law Enforcement Patrol Captain, advised. "Do not enter any garden area."

Last year, law enforcement personnel seized 220,359 marijuana plants from the Mendocino National Forest. In 2006 the law enforcement team eradicated 405,399 marijuana plants from 55 illegal marijuana sites on the forest. More marijuana was taken by this team than any other group anywhere in the Forest Service in 2006.

In addition to the criminal activity associated with the marijuana gardens, there is substantial environmental degradation caused by the illegal growers. Herbicides and pesticides used to remove competing vegetation and gnawing rodents (which are a food source for the northern spotted owls), human waste and garbage, all end up in rivers after winter rains. Also, the irrigation systems dewater small streams needed by fish, and compacts the soil in the gardens, leading to erosion.

The typical marijuana garden has changed from the late 1980s and early 90s. During that time the typical operation had 100 to 1,000 plants. These days, operations are far larger, ranging in size from 1,000 to 30,000 plants, or more. The larger growing operations often have armed individuals tending the gardens, Lombard said.

"Most of the increase can be attributed to the proliferation of foreign Drug Trafficking Organizations," Lombard said.

Forest Service law enforcement officers work with County Sheriff's Departments, California National Guard, and Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP) teams. Headed by the Department of Justice Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, CAMP teams were created in 1983 for the primary purpose of eradicating illegal marijuana from public lands in California.

Growers can live in the Forest near these sites for months at a time. Officers have come across these illegal camps with exercise facilities, tree houses, barbed wire fences and numerous firearms, Lombard said. These camps often contain cooking and sleeping areas which are within view of the cultivation site. Some camps have tents, hammocks and sleeping bags on the ground and have been found with large overhanging tarps as cover for the entire campsite.

There are some things to watch for which may indicate marijuana is being grown in an area. They can include:

• Isolated tents in the forest where no recreational activity is present.
• The utilization of trailers with no evidence of recreational activities.
• A pattern of vehicular traffic or a particular vehicle seen in the same isolated area on a regular basis.
• Unusual structures located in remote forested areas, with buckets, garden tools, fertilizer bags, etc.
• Signs of cultivation or soil disturbance in unlikely areas.
• Black piping and trash scattered in forested areas.

For additional information or to notify law enforcement authorities of a suspected garden area in the Mendocino National Forest, please contact Forest Service Law Enforcement at (530) 934-3316.

Fight leads to drug arrests

Ukiah Daily Journal Staff
Article Last Updated: 05/06/2008 08:25:05 AM PDT

The Daily Journal

Two people were arrested last week for on drug charges after they were allegedly found in possession of methamphetamine and marijuana the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office announced Monday.

On Saturday evening sheriff's deputies were dispatched to the 4900 block on North State Street on reports of a fight.

When deputies arrived around 6:30 p.m. they found Martin Tucker, 47, of Ukiah in front of his residence. Tucker matched the description of one of the people involved in the fight, according to sheriff's reports.

Sheriff's deputies asked Tucker about the fight and at first he told them he was not involved. As deputies questioned Tucker further he told them he had seen a subject near his house and chased him off. While they were talking to him, deputies saw him exhibit signs of being under the influence of drugs, according to sheriff's reports.

Tucker allowed sheriff's deputies to search his house where they found what appeared to be methamphetamine, marijuana, hash oil of honey oil, a gun, and chemicals commonly used to make hash oil, according to sheriff's reports.

Tucker was arrested on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance, manufacture of a controlled substance and possession of a firearm and booked into the Mendocino County Jail on a $10,000 bond.

Earlier in the week, Tina Huffman, 46, of Clearlake, was arrested on drug charges after deputies searched her purse and found marijuana and methamphetamine, according to sheriff's reports.

Huffman was the passenger in a car stopped at around 1 a.m. on Highway 101 near Ukiah Thursday for a traffic violation.

According to sheriff's reports, sheriff's deputies smelled marijuana in Huffman's purse and searched it, allegedly finding an ounce of marijuana, methamphetamine, a glass methamphetamine pipe and a hypodermic syringe.

Huffman was arrested on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and being under the influence of a controlled substance and booked into the Mendocino County Jail.

Couple arrested in Robinson Creek pot raid

By BEN BROWN and RICHARD ROSIER The Daily Journal
Article Last Updated: 05/03/2008 04:01:30 PM PDT

More than 800 marijuana plants, more than 100 pounds of marijuana and an assault pistol were seized during the search of a Robinson Creek Road home Thursday, according to reports from the Mendocino Major Crimes Task Force.

Task Force Commander Bob Nishiyama said officers served a search warrant on a house at 6620 Robinson Creek Road Thursday and found 885 small marijuana plants in two indoor gardens.

Officers also found between 100 and 150 pounds of finely ground marijuana, four ounces of "honey oil," a pound of processed marijuana, a set of brass knuckles and a Mac 10 assault pistol.

Officers arrested the home's occupants, Andy Daniel Smith and Tracy Lee Smith, on several drug charges. Their children, ages 7 and 3, were turned over to the Mendocino County Office of Child Protective Services.

Nishiyama said it appeared the suspects were using the finely ground marijuana to make "honey oil," a substance made by heating marijuana with butane to reduce it to a concentrated oil. He said there were 17 tubes for making honey oil and two cases of butane in the house.

In addition to the Mac 10, officers also found a one-footlong screw-on flash suppressor, designed to hide muzzle flash, and two 30-round magazines loaded with Black Talon ammunition.

Black Talon ammunition is designed to shatter on impact with a soft target in order to do maximum damage, Nishiyama said. The ammunition was pulled off the market by the manufacturer in 1993, and is illegal to import or sell in the United States, Nishiyama said.

He said the Task Force had not test fired the Mac 10 yet, but said the gun's design makes it easy to convert to fire on automatic. Neighbors in the area had complained about hearing automatic weapons fire, he said.

Officers also found a bypass on the home's electric meter, allowing the suspects to power their garden for free, Nishiyama said.

"They were able to run both indoor grows without paying for the electricity," Nishiyama said. "It was you and I who were paying for the electricity."

Nishiyama said bypasses like these are a public safety hazard because they pull enough power to cause transformers to blow.

"If it happens during the summer, it can be a considerable fire hazard," Nishiyama said.

The process of making "honey oil" can also be a fire hazard because it requires the use of volatile gas, Nishiyama said.

The Smiths were arrested on suspicion of cultivation of marijuana, manufacture of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana for sale, maintaining a residence for the production of a controlled substance, being armed in the commission of a felony, possession of an assault weapon, grand theft of utilities and felony child endangerment.

Both were booked into the Mendocino County Jail.

Ben Brown can be reached at udjbb@pacific.net.

Ukiah man arrested after handgun incident

Ukiah Daily Journal Staff

Article Last Updated: 04/22/2008 08:54:54 AM PDT

The Daily Journal

A Ukiah man was arrested Sunday night after he reportedly threatened and hit a friend with a handgun.

On Sunday at about 9:34 p.m., officers from the Ukiah Police Department were dispatched to an apartment in the 700 block of South Oak Street, on a report of an unwanted man inside the apartment.

When they got to the apartment, officers were met by victim Juan Deharo, 34, of Ukiah. Deharo was bleeding from a laceration to his head and told officers that he had just been attacked by a man armed with a handgun. Deharo then pointed to a man across the courtyard of the complex, and identified him as his assailant.

UPD officers stopped the man at gunpoint and detained him pending an initial investigation. The man was identified by his California ID card as Angel Mendez, 52, of Ukiah. Officers located a loaded 9MM pistol, concealed in the bushes about 10 feet from Mendez.

Once the scene was stabilized, Deharo was treated for his injuries by members of the Ukiah Fire Department and then transported by ambulance to Ukiah Valley Medical Center. At the hospital Deharo told officers that he has known Mendez for a year or two and that they meet up and smoke marijuana on occasion. The night prior, Deharo, said, Mendez had brought over a marijuana pipe and marijuana that they smoked together.

Before the police were called, Deharo said he was inside his apartment, when Mendez showed up. According to the report, Mendez asked Deharo to retrieve his marijuana pipe and supply of marijuana. Deharo said he told Mendez that he was eating dinner and asked him to let him finish. Deharo said Mendez replied, "No, we have a problem then."

Deharo said Mendez then left, but returned to the apartment six to seven minutes later, entering without knocking and holding a handgun in his right hand. Deharo said Mendez pointed the gun at the head of a guest that happened to be visiting at Deharo's apartment. According to Deharo, Mendez told the guest to get out of the apartment and he would deal with Deharo.

Deharo stated that Mendez kept pointing the gun at him, and repeatedly asking for his marijuana pipe and marijuana. Deharo said Mendez kicked him in the left knee twice while pointing the gun at his head. Deharo told police Mendez also struck him in the head with the butt of the gun, causing a laceration and knocking Deharo out momentarily.

During the attack, Deharo begged for his life and said he was terrified, according to a press release from UPD officials. Mendez eventually left, but not before threatening to kill Deharo if he told anybody about the assault, the report states.

At the hospital Deharo received several stitches for his injury and was later released.

Mendez was booked into the Mendocino County Jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, burglary, making terrorist threats, and possession of a loaded firearm. The investigation was turned over to the Detective Division of the Ukiah Police Department and is ongoing.

If anyone has additional information regarding this case, please contact Detectives Glen Stark or Mariano Guzman at the Ukiah Police Department 463-6262.

FedEx shipment leads to local bust

By Linda Williams/TWN Staff Writer

Article Launched: 04/11/2008 11:11:08 AM PDT

A drug sniffing dog in Alaska alerted law enforcement to the presence of marijuana in two FedEx packages, leading to the arrest of a Laytonville man.

Lawrence Frederick Sourbeck, 51, was arrested last month following an investigation prompted by the discovery of 62 pounds of marijuana in two FedEx packages in an Alaskan airport and the subsequent arrest of the alleged recipients, say police.

During a search of Sourbeck's residence, officers allegedly discovered evidence of an outdoor grow and a number of firearms.

The Mendocino Major Crimes Task Force arrested Sourbeck on suspicion of possession and transportation of marijuana for sale, conspiracy to commit a crime and being armed during the commission of a felony.

Sourbeck was originally held on $500,000 bail and was subsequently released after his bail was lowered to $80,000

Armed robbery of pot on coast

Ukiah Daily Journal Staff

Article Last Updated: 04/06/2008 11:56:35 AM PDT

The Daily Journal

A man wanted for allegedly stealing a pound of medical marijuana at gunpoint from an Albion home Friday morning led police on a high speed pursuit on Highway 101, where he was caught after his car hit a spike-strip and overturned.

According to reports from the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office, the suspect, Joseph Charles Denson, drove to 27250 Albion Ridge Road at around 11:15 a.m. Friday and allegedly threatened Abel Sommer and Soren Helstrom with a small caliber handgun and stole a pound of Sommers' prescription marijuana, according to sheriff's reports.

Helstrom drove Denson to Sommers' home before the robbery occurred, but does not appear to be a suspect in the robbery, according to sheriff's reports.

Denson fled the home in a gold Nissan Maxima. The Sheriff's Office issued an alert for law enforcement to be on the lookout for Denson and the Maxima and noted that he may have been headed for Vallejo and was likely still armed.

Later Friday, Denson was spotted southbound on Highway 101 by officers of the Cloverdale Police Department. Officers tried to pull over Denson but he fled, leading officers in a pursuit at speeds up to 90 mph.

Denson was stopped after he swerved in an attempt to avoid a spike strip that flattened both of the Maxima's passenger side tires. Denson then lost control of the car, which overturned.

He was pulled from the car and taken by ambulance to a local hospital to be treated for his injuries.

The Sheriff's Office and CPD are planning to file charges of armed robbery and evading arrest against Denson, who was also on California state parole for drug crimes, according to sheriff's reports

Two county pot raids net 1,500 plants

By BEN BROWN/The Daily Journal

Article Last Updated: 04/05/2008 08:40:26 AM PDT

A series of raids by federal law enforcement officers and sheriff's deputies from two counties resulted in the seizure Thursday of nearly 1,500 marijuana plants from five addresses in Willits and Santa Rosa.

Mendocino County sheriff's deputies working with officers from the County of Mendocino Marijuana Eradication Team, the Mendocino Major Crimes Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office Narcotics Task Force, the Willits Police Department and an investigator from the Mendocino County District Attorney's Office served search warrants on four addresses in Willits and one in Santa Rosa starting at 7:30 a.m. Thursday.

From a home at 1581 East Hill Road, officers seized 940 marijuana plants and arrested Abraham Asbury, 31, of Willits.

At a home at 297 Holly St., officers seized 91 marijuana plants; at nearby 295 Holly St. officers seized an additional 214 marijuana plants as well as processed marijuana and a shotgun. These grows were believed to be under the control of Jonas Green, 27, and Amanda Ekstrand, 27, both of Willits, according to sheriff's reports.

At 25042 Robin Place, officers seized an additional 98 marijuana plants as well as $1,800 in cash and more processed marijuana, according to sheriff's reports. Green was arrested at this location.

In Santa Rosa, officers seized 119 plants and a handgun from a home at 5976 Yerba Buena Road. Randall Edwards, 53, and Susan Edwards, 57, both of Santa Rosa, were also found living at that home.

Evidence gathered from the scene indicated that Randall and Susan Edwards owned the homes on East Hill Road and Holly Street, according to sheriff's reports.

Charges of cultivation of marijuana, possession of marijuana for sale and maintaining a place to distribute a controlled substance have been filed with the Mendocino County District Attorney's Office against Asbury, Green, Ekstrand and the Edwards.

On the same day, sheriff's deputies arrested two men from Arizona after marijuana, methamphetamine and cocaine was allegedly found in their car during a traffic stop.

According to sheriff's reports, Sheriff's Deputy Joey DeMarco stopped a car containing David Alexander Cygan, 50, and Whitman Cushing Lord, 48, both of Yuma, Ariz. that was southbound on Highway 101 near Leggett for a traffic violation at 11:23 p.m. Thursday.

The two men told DeMarco they had been visiting friends in Garberville and were driving back to Arizona. DeMarco smelled marijuana in their vehicle and searched it, according to sheriff's reports.

In the trunk DeMarco found 23 bags of processed marijuana containing a total of 24 pounds of processed marijuana, according to the report, which stated DeMarco also found two grams of methamphetamine and 1.6 grams of cocaine as well as drug paraphernalia.

Cygan and Lord were arrested on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana for sale, transportation of marijuana for sale and possession of drug paraphernalia and booked into the Mendocino County Jail.

Ben Brown can be reached at udjbb@pacific.net.

Willits pair arrested on pot charges

Ukiah Daily Journal Staff

Article Last Updated: 04/02/2008 08:41:28 AM PDT

The Daily Journal

Last week, Mendocino County sheriff's deputies arrested two Willits residents on marijuana charges, after a search of their home revealed more than 300 marijuana plants.

Shanna Miller, 27, and Michael McClure, 24, were both arrested on suspicion of possession of marijuana for sale, cultivation of marijuana and being armed in commission of a felony at a home at 25981 Tucker Lane at 1 p.m. Thursday.

According to sheriff's reports, members of the County of Mendocino Marijuana Eradication Team served a search warrant on the Tucker Lane home and found a "sophisticated indoor grow operation."

Officers seized 315 growing marijuana plants, an unknown amount of processed marijuana, a digital scale and a pistol, according to sheriff's reports.

Miller and McClure were both booked into the Mendocino County Jail on the listed charges. They were released after paying a $25,000 bond each.

Major pot bust on Bell Springs Road

By The Willits News staff

Article Launched: 03/28/2008 11:32:03 AM PDT

Law enforcement officers raided an indoor marijuana grow on Bell Springs Road north of Laytonville on March 13, seizing 3,415 plants, 300 pounds of processed bud, four firearms and arresting two Mexican nationals.

The raid was led by a California Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement team assisted by the County of Mendocino Marijuana Eradication Team and federal Drug Enforcement Administration agents.

The large-scale three-site grow ran two large generators. The county Department of Environmental Health assessing the extent of environmental damage caused by leaking fuel and oil.

Dionicio Guardado, 30, and Ramon Guardado, 27, were arrested on suspicion of cultivation and possession of marijuana for sale and entering the United States illegally.

Marijuana raids on Cresta and Riverside

By BEN BROWN The Daily Journal
Article Last Updated: 03/12/2008 08:34:19 AM PDT

Two people, one of them currently under federal indictment, were arrested on drug charges Thursday after neighbors on Cresta Drive complained about the smell.

Mendocino County Major Crimes Task Force Commander Bob Nishiyama said officers served a search warrant on the home of Cynthia Nelson at 122 Cresta Drive Thursday and seized 30 mature marijuana plants and 265 smaller "clone" plants.

The 30 mature plants were in one bedroom of the house, while the clones were in a hydroponic setup in another, Nishiyama said. Some of the clone plants were very young, but others had root balls and had been planted in dirt.

"It was a very sophisticated setup," he said.

The Task Force filed for a search warrant on the house because of complaints about the smell of marijuana in the neighborhood, and a PG&E bill that was four times higher than normal.

"The smell, especially at the budding stage, is really strong," Nishiyama said.

The house had belonged to Nelson's mother, who died and left the house to her. Nishiyama said the house was mostly empty except for one room that Nelson rented out.

Based on the evidence from the Cresta Drive home, the Task Force obtained a second search warrant for Nelson's permanent residence on Riverside Drive.

Nishiyama said officers found 30 "mother" plants that he believed Nelson was using to make the clone plants found on Cresta Drive.

Officers also seized 72 grams of hashish, 22.7 grams of psilosybin mushrooms, 700 grams of marijuana and a .45 caliber rifle, Nishiyama said.

Officers also found Rustin Meadows-Paul of Potter Valley at the Riverside Drive home. Paul had been released by federal authorities pending trial on federal drug charges for allegedly growing marijuana in Potter Valley and driving it to Chicago, where it was allegedly sold to organized crime figures.

Nishiyama said Paul allegedly used several different cars to drive the marijuana cross country to sell to organized crime figures, who in turn sold it to street dealers and sometimes allegedly employed dishonest Chicago Police Department officers to steal the drugs back to be sold again.

"Mendocino County marijuana was ending up in Chicago with organized crime," Nishiyama said.

Nelson and Paul are both charged with cultivation of marijuana, possession of marijuana for sale, possession of hashish, possession of psilosybin mushrooms and being armed in commission of a felony. Additionally, Paul was charged with committing a felony while out on bail.

Both Paul and Nelson had medical marijuana recommendations.

Ben Brown can be reached at udjbb@pacific.net.

Brooktrails pot bust, two arrested

By Linda Williams/TWN Staff Writer
Article Launched: 03/05/2008 11:14:18 AM PST

A sophisticated indoor marijuana grow on Oriole Drive in Brooktrails was searched on February 26 by Mendocino County Sheriff's officers, leading to the arrest of two residents. Nearly 20 pounds of processed bud, 152 mature pot plants, firearms and packaging materials were found during the search, say police. A 3-year old child at the was placed in the custody of Child Protective Services.

Danielle Lanzit, 26, and Nicholas Grilli, 27, were arrested on suspicion of cultivation and possession of marijuana for sale.

Based on an electricity bill found at the scene, the residents were apparently being helped with their $1,500 per month electricity bill by the CARE low-income subsidy, say deputies. For a three-person household to qualify for a CARE subsidy, gross income is limited to a maximum of $34,400 per year.

Lanzit and Grilli qualified in 2007 for a $350,000 mortgage with estimated payments of $30,000 per year and real estate taxes of $1,900 according to public records. These payments, along with the electricity costs, suggest a somewhat higher annual income than is allowed under the CARE program.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company does request verification of income for CARE subscribers, says spokeswoman Jana Morris. This verification typically involves an income tax return or record of wages and salaries. CARE procedures are established by the California Public Utilities Commission and PG&E is unable to question CARE subscribers even when electricity use nearly equals their total income allowed under the program.

At the wholesale rate of $2,500 per pound, the pot in the Oriole Drive home is valued at about $430,000.

Man who asks officers to protect him arrested on marijuana charges

The Daily Journal
Ukiah Daily Journal Staff
Article Last Updated: 02/27/2008 08:48:42 AM PST

While responding to reports of an assault on Sherwood Road Monday, law enforcement officers discovered a large marijuana grow.

According to a news release from the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office, Willits Police Department officers were investigating an alleged assault around 3 p.m. Monday and summoned sheriff's deputies for help.

When they arrived, sheriff's deputies spoke with John J. Mayock, 39, of Willits, who told them he had been conducting a commercial marijuana grow with two other men at his home in the 24100 block of Sherwood Road.

The three got into an argument over money, during which the other two men allegedly attacked Mayock, according to sheriff's reports.

Mayock asked sheriff's deputies to travel with him to the Sherwood Road house and stay while he removed his belongings from the house because he feared the men would attack him again if he returned, according to sheriff's reports.

Sheriff's deputies accompanied Mayock to the home, where they smelled the odor of marijuana and saw several signs indicating marijuana cultivation, according to sheriff's reports.

Mayock said there had been several medical marijuana recommendations in the home, but that they had expired. When deputies asked to search the home, Mayock refused and the deputies got a search warrant.

Inside the house, sheriff's deputies found more than 200 marijuana plants, scales, packaging materials, receipts for marijuana and a firearm, according to sheriff's
reports.

Mayock was arrested on suspicion of cultivation of marijuana and possession of marijuana for sale and was booked into the Mendocino County Jail on a $250,000 bond.

More pot busts

By Linda Williams/TWN Staff Writer
Article Launched: 02/27/2008 11:51:36 AM PST

"We are going to continue to go after large commercial growers," said Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman when asked about the number of recent pot busts in the north county.

Two Willits area residents are in custody following a search of their Blackhawk Road residence by the Mendocino Major Crimes Task Force. The search reportedly found 134 mature plants, five pounds of processed bud marijuana, 5.7 grams of methamphetamine, $5,000 in cash, a vial of liquid LSD, psilocybin mushrooms and 2 firearms.

Kimberly Dawn Lansing, 36, of Willits, was arrested on suspicion of possession and cultivation of marijuana for sale and carrying a concealed weapon.

Scott Steven Selzer, 37, of Willits, was arrested on suspicion of cultivation and possession of marijuana for sale, being armed during the commission of a felony and possession of a controlled substance.

Former Willits resident Robert Archie Winiger, 49, of Ukiah was arrested on February 11 following the search of his Ukiah home where the MMCTF reportedly found more than $10,000 in cash, 7 pounds of processed bud, 771 plants and three firearms in an indoor marijuana grow. Winiger was arrested on suspicion of cultivation and possession of marijuana for sale and possession of a firearm in commission of a felony.

7 arrests, 5,000 pot plants in second raid

By BEN BROWN/The Daily Journal
Article Last Updated: 02/15/2008 09:09:38 AM PST

Seven people were arrested and more than 5,000 marijuana plants seized in Dos Rios Wednesday in an early morning raid by local, state and federal law enforcement officers.

Law enforcement officers served a search warrant on a remote ranch near the Eight Mile Bridge in Dos Rios at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday and seized 5,275 plants, ranging from seedlings to full-grown budding plants, as well as 100 pounds of processed marijuana, $20,000 in cash, two handguns and five rifles.

Officers also arrested: Kite Isaac Finds the Feather, 29, and Amanda Lee Wood, 28, both of Dos Rios, on suspicion of cultivation of marijuana, possession of marijuana for sale and child endangerment.

When officers arrived on scene to serve the search warrant, the suspects fled in a Jeep down a dirt track toward the Eel River, taking three children, ages 6, 5 and 2 years old, with them.

After the subjects were arrested, the children were turned over to Child Protective Services as per the drug endangered children protocol.

Mendocino County Sheriff's Office Lt. Rusty Noe said it was not clear whose children the kids were; Wood and Finds the Feather were living together in Dos Rios.

Officers were led to the ranch through investigation into a separate case by the County of Mendocino Marijuana Eradication Team and the Drug Enforcement Agency, which is ongoing.

"This was a spin off of that," Noe said.

COMMET, assisted by DEA agents, officers from the Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement and
deputies from the Sonoma County Marijuana Eradication Team, served the search warrant.

After the suspects were arrested, officers searched the ranch and found an extensive marijuana growing operation, Noe said.

Two structures on the property were being used to grow marijuana, according to sheriff's reports. One was a barn that had been converted into a grow room; the other was a starter room and processing shed.

The starter room contained 271 grow lights run by a 400-kilowatt generator. Noe said the generator was three or four times the size of a car.

"It was one of the most extensive grows I've ever seen," he said.

Officers also found a second 350-kilowatt generator at the ranch as well as 25 gallons of waste oil and a large plastic tank containing fuel for both generators. Officers called the Mendocino County Department of Public Health to investigate any possible environmental hazard.

When officers were leaving the scene, a Mendocino County sheriff's deputy saw a man walking on Highway 162 one mile from the scene and questioned him.

The man, Romero Juan Agudo, 24, was one of the people who had fled the house. Agudo told deputies that he was one of seven men living on the property who had been working in the marijuana garden, according to sheriff's reports.

On Thursday morning, sheriff's deputies arrested four more men who are alleged to have been part of the operation. One of the suspects, who had left his wallet at the scene, was identified as Antonio Alfonso Agudo, 21; the other men have not been identified.

All five men were arrested on suspicion of marijuana cultivation and were booked into the Mendocino County Jail on no-bail immigration holds. Noe said it is not uncommon to find illegal immigrants working in illegal marijuana gardens.

Wood and Finds the Feather were booked into jail and are being held on $500,000 bonds each.