Two pot farms raided in San Bernardino County, authorities say
The Colorado Supreme Court has ruled that a company lawfully fired an employee after he tested positive for marijuana, which is legal in the state.
Teams from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department found two outdoor marijuana plant cultivations at separate Phelan residences when they served search warrants Thursday morning.
At least one suspect was arrested at each location.
Investigators said they seized 135 marijuana plants, ranging from 3 to 4 feet tall, from a 1-acre property on 4th Street, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Department.
The investigators arrested resident Kenneth Wayne Hand, 48, on suspicion of marijuana cultivation and being a convicted felon in possession of ammunition, according to the release.
At the second location in the 9700 block of Baldy Mesa Road, 98 plants were seized from a 7.5-acre property. A rifle and a shotgun were also confiscated, officials said.
Two suspects, 24-year-old Victor Garcia Ruiz and 29-year-old Jose Ruben Huerta, ran into the desert as authorities arrived. The pair were later apprehended by authorities who tracked their footprints, according to a news release.
Ruiz and Huerta were booked for cultivation. A third suspect, Alexander Figueroa, 69, was arrested on suspicion of cultivation and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
Plants were found in unsecured fenced-in areas at both locations, and each cultivation was described in statements as an illegal operation.
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Twitter: @emfoxhall
emily.foxhall@latimes.com
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