A 74-year-old man suspected of maintaining an illegal indoor marijuana grow in Wildomar containing hundreds of plants was out of custody Wednesday.
Guofu Chen of Wildomar was arrested last week on suspicion of illegal cannabis cultivation, possession of marijuana for sale and theft of utilities. Chen was booked into the Byrd Detention Center, but he posted an undisclosed bond within 24 hours and was released from the Murrieta jail.
According to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, deputies received several complaints in January from residents in the 35000 block of Amatista Avenue, south of Rosita Drive, concerning a possible cannabis grow at a two-story property.
Sgt. Jarrod Meissen said the sheriff’s Special Enforcement Team initiated an investigation and confirmed illicit activity, culminating in a search warrant being executed on Feb. 5.
“The residence was transformed into a marijuana cultivation site,” Meissen said. “Approximately 1,050 marijuana plants in various stages of growth were located and eradicated. The electrical system within the residence had been illegally altered, causing a fire hazard.”
Chen was taken into custody without incident. He was the only occupant of the property, but there was no word on whether he was the original purchaser.
Meissen said the home’s illegally modified electrical system to cultivate the plants had resulted in an “estimated loss of over $60,000 in stolen utilities” over an unspecified period.
The Wildomar Code Enforcement Department and SoCal Edison were both alerted to the conditions, after which the property was “deemed … uninhabitable,” the sergeant said.
Background information on Chen was unavailable.