LAKE COUNTY — Lake County Code Enforcement Officer Larry Morris Fabisch was arrested Saturday on charges of possessing marijuana for sale and having a loaded firearm in public.
“They arrested me for my medical marijuana. I showed them two recommendations I had from two doctors, and they disregarded it,” Fabisch said Wednesday.
A Lake County Sheriff”s Office (LCSO) deputy found approximately 89 pounds of marijuana plants in Fabisch”s vehicle when he stopped Fabisch at Foothill Drive and Robin Hood Way in Lucerne early Saturday morning, according to LCSO Captain James Bauman. The deputy spotted Fabisch”s vehicle near Lakeview Market in Lucerne at approximately 3:20 a.m. and followed it through Lucerne, according to Bauman.
“It was off the side of the road on Highway 20 in Lucerne in a business district when the businesses were closed, and that drew the attention of the deputy. He followed the vehicle through Lucerne, during which time he (Fabisch) was driving erratically ? stopping, slowing down and speeding up,” Bauman said.
Fabisch had three passengers in the car, according to Bauman, including his 20-year-old son and two passengers Fabisch said he had picked up on his trip home to Nice.
“He (Fabisch) did state that he harvested the plants from private property in the Sierra Mountains,” Bauman said.
Bauman said the amount of unprocessed marijuana found in Fabisch”s vehicle was more than what is allowed under Proposition 215, the Compassionate Use Act. Because of the way the plants were packaged, Bauman said it was difficult to tell how many plants were in the vehicle.
“The amount of plants I had was allowed on my recommendation. I”m allowed to grow up to 25 plants,” Fabisch said.
Fabisch also had a revolver and a .223-caliber rifle in the car, for which he did not have a permit, according to Bauman.
Lake County Human Resources Director Kathy Ferguson said Wednesday that Fabisch is still employed with the county. She said the county does not have a policy regarding arrests of county employees, and handles convictions on a case-by-case basis.
Fabisch posted $10,000 bail and was released just before 11 a.m. on Saturday. He is due to appear in court on Dec. 1.
Bauman said the LCSO is requesting that the Lake County District Attorney”s Office file the same marijuana charges against Fabisch”s three passengers.
“We”ve received the reports, and we have a deputy district attorney reviewing the reports to determine if any charges will be filed,” Lake County District Attorney Jon Hopkins said.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com, or call her directly at 263-5636 ext. 37.
