| Photo: Ernie’s Place |
| Here’s how they grow it in Ukiah. And don’t even THINK about getting sticky fingers, unless it’s yours and you’re rolling a joint. |
If you’ve ever considered doing something really stupid like ripping of someone’s pot crop, here’s a cautionary tale for you.
A 46-year-old Dublin, California man was hospitalized with a coma earlier this week after reportedly being beaten by the Ukiah residents whose marijuana plants he was allegedly trying to steal, the Ukiah Police Department reported on Thursday.
According to the UPD, the incident began shortly before 2 a.m. on September 23 when a resident called 911 to report that a group of people were burglarizing her home, and one of the suspects was being “detained in the back yard” by other residents, reports the Ukiah Daily Journal.
When police officers arrived on the scene, they saw the frightened Dublin man running desperately from the house and immediately detained him. The suspect had “serious facial injuries” and told officers he had come to the Ukiah area to “steal marijuana.”
He said he had gone to the home on Myron Place with “some local associates,” and they were in the back yard stealing marijuana plants when the residents surprised them.
The suspect claimed he was beaten with a stick and escaped the yard after a thorough bludgeoning, then ran into the police officers. It just wasn’t his night!
The suspect was transported to Ukiah Valley Medical Center and later Santa Rose Memorial, where officers learned he had slipped into a coma.
Captain Justin Wyatt, who said the suspect came out of the coma on Wednesday, added that he planned to interview him “as soon as possible.”
When officers contacted the local residents, the homeowners said they had confronted seveal people stealing cannabis plants from the back yard, grabbing at least one of them and detaining him.
The rest of the suspects reportedly began throwing rocks and pieces of concrete at the residents, demanding the detained pot thieves be released.
The residents said that at one point, a gun was possibly discharged, but the officers did not locate a firearm, or find any evidence that one had been fired.
Officers did locate several marijuana plants growing in the back yard — a violation of city ordinances — and removed them.
Several bags of stalks and buds were also found, presumably discarded by the thieves once the shit hit the fan.
Wyatt said the remaining suspects have not been identified, and the case remains under investigation.
He said the “use of force” by the residents will be reviewed by the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office for possible charges.