LAKE COUNTY — The Lake County Sheriff”s Office arrested 14 people during six marijuana raids from Oct. 30 through Dec. 6, according to a press release by Lt. Dave Garzoli, commander of the LCSO investigative division.
The division includes a marijuana eradication program.
The raids stemmed from two separate investigations into private marijuana grows that the LCSO believed were illegal.
Proposition 215, the Compassionate Use Act, allows patients who have a physician”s recommendations to use marijuana for health conditions.
In addition, a patient can designate a caregiver to obtain or tend the marijuana.
“What has happened is that guys like this are growing hundreds of pounds usually, allegedly for patients. We believe these ones are abusing the medical marijuana laws. They have binders and stacks full of medical marijuana recommendations for people they”ve never even met,” Garzoli said.
During the six raids, sheriff”s investigators seized more than 400 marijuana plants, 210 pounds of processed marijuana, 33 guns and more than $1 million in cash and bank accounts related to the grows and alleged sales operations.
The first raid began with a traffic stop on Westlake Drive in Lakeport. A sheriff”s deputy arrested Bakersfield resident Travis McKinney, who was on his way home after allegedly picking up approximately 90 pounds of marijuana from the Bridge Arbor Road home of Neil Hartson in Upper Lake.
Almost two weeks later, sheriff”s investigators served a search warrant on Hartson”s home and found approximately 85 marijuana plants, 45 pounds of processed marijuana, two ounces of hashish, two guns and materials that indicated the marijuana was being sold.
Investigators arrested Clayton Smith and Crystal Pulido, who were tending the property.
Lake County Code Enforcement red-tagged the home because it was unfit to be occupied, according to the press release.
Sheriff”s deputies served a second warrant on the home Dec. 6 because they believed a convicted sex offender was living there. Investigators did not find the sex offender, but arrested Hartson, who was living in the red-tagged home illegally.
Investigators found approximately four pounds of packaged marijuana in his vehicle, along with approximately 4.4 grams of Psilocybin mushrooms and a small quantity of hashish, according to the press release.
In addition, investigators arrested 10 people at four Upper Lake homes in marijuana grows Garzoli said he believed were related.
Sheriff”s helicopter crews spotted marijuana grows at residences on Bridge Arbor Road, Reclamation Road and Elk Mountain Road.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com, or call her directly at 263-5636 ext. 37.
