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Kelseyville man arrested for marijuana grow, failure to register as sex offender
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – What began as a code enforcement case in Kelseyville last week led to a marijuana eradication and one arrest on charges including marijuana cultivation and failure to register as a sex offender.
Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office said Alan James Estrada, 65, of Kelseyville as a result of the case.
Brooks said that at 11:15 a.m. last Friday, May 23, Lake County Code Enforcement officers contacted members of the Sheriff’s Narcotic’s Task Force to report that they found a marijuana grow inside of a Kelseyville residence where they were conducting an inspection.
At 11:30 a.m., narcotics detectives arrived at the residence, located in the 3000 block of Meadow Wood Drive, Brooks said.
The detectives contacted Estrada, who said he owns the residence. Brooks said detectives explained they were there due to a reported indoor marijuana grow.
Detectives asked if Estrada was growing marijuana inside the home and Estrada said he was not. When detectives asked if he had a medical marijuana recommendation, Estrada said he had two belonging to other people, but his had expired approximately four years ago, Brooks reported.
When detectives explained that they could smell the odor of marijuana emitting from the residence, Brooks said Estrada let them inside to inspect the plants.
Brooks said the detectives noticed two of the bedrooms were being used to cultivate marijuana and counted a total of 236 marijuana plants, which were flowering and considered mature. The detectives also saw that Estrada was using large filters in each of the rooms, to reduce the odor of marijuana emitting from the residence.
Detectives asked Estrada if he had any weapons in the residence and he admitted to having a shotgun for home protection, Brooks said.
After viewing the marijuana plants, detectives obtained a search warrant for the residence which they served the same day. Estrada said he smoked marijuana every day, but he would only take a couple of puffs at night before going to bed, according to Brooks.
Brooks said the detective asked if Estrada smoked a whole marijuana cigarette per day and Estrada replied, “No, you can’t smoke that much.”
The detective said that due to the number of plants they had located inside the residence, he believed Estrada was selling it. Brooks said Estrada told the detective that he should stop talking and said he wanted an attorney.
The detective concluded the interview and did not ask any additional questions, Brooks said. The marijuana was eradicated and the shotgun was seized as evidence.
Central Dispatch conducted a records check of Estrada and advised he was a registered sex offender out of Humboldt County. Brooks said Central Dispatch also advised that Estrada was not registered as a sex offender in Lake County, where his residence is located.
Estrada was arrested for cultivating marijuana, possession of marijuana for sale, being armed in the commission of a felony and failure to register as a sex offender, Brooks said.
Brooks said Estrada was transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked.
Estrada's booking sheet showed that his bail was set at $15,000. He later posted the required percentage of bail and was released.
The Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force can be reached through its anonymous tip line at 707-263-3663.