Pot-growing operation found in west SR home

Marijuana growers converted a west Santa Rosa home into an indoor pot farm crammed with so many plants there was no room left for anyone to live inside the house, police said Saturday.

Santa Rosa police arrested two men and seized 1,008 marijuana plants Friday at the house on South Wright Road. The owner of the rental home was not identified by officials.

Ordinarily, growers might convert one or two rooms to cultivate marijuana indoors, Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Ron Nelson said.

In this case, growers used the entire house to produce pot, he said. In addition, marijuana also was being grown in an outbuilding and in other locations outdoors that were obscured by large, plastic enclosures.

"To have a portion of property (outside) dedicated as well, that's significant," Nelson said.

Police said the home was not suitable for living in because of the extent of cultivation taking place inside.

Details of the marijuana-growing operation were revealed after Santa Rosa police narcotics investigators served a search warrant Friday at the property, located in a rural area along the 1400 block of South Wright Road.

Neighbors said they were not surprised by the raid at the house, which drew visitors at odd hours.

"We all suspected something was going on that wasn't aboveboard," neighbor Harvey Johnson said.

The growers took extreme measures to keep the property secluded by building a second fence and keeping the entry gate locked at all times, he said.

"It was obvious that it wasn't for security -- it was for privacy," Johnson said. "It's just strange that you have to go to those lengths."

Police arrested Harvey Lee Thompson, 50, and Nicolas Steven Portillo, 23, on suspicion of cultivating marijuana. Thompson appeared to be living in a trailer on the property, and Portillo is a Santa Rosa resident, police said.

Police put no estimate on the value of the plants nor how much money they could ultimately yield when fully grown.

Santa Rosa code enforcement officials, PG&E and the Santa Rosa Fire Department were called to the scene because of unsafe conditions at the home. The property was condemned because of numerous violations, and PG&E pulled the electricity meter to prevent an electrical fire.

The police environmental crimes investigation unit will be conducting a follow-up investigation with the property owner to safely dispose of potentially hazardous waste.

Staff Writer Tracie Morales contributed to this story. You

can reach Staff Writer

Martin Espinoza at 521-5213

or martin.espinoza@

pressdemocrat.com.