Salmon Creek Bust Yields 3273 Marijuana Plants and Six Guns

A California Department of Fish and Wildlife Warden looks at a mannequin on the property that was raided last Thursday. Nearby residents say that several large dolls were moved around the property by the people who lived there.[Photo by Kym Kemp]

Three men were arrested last Thursday when the California Department of Fish and Wildlife served a search warrant at a property located off of Thomas Road in the Salmon Creek area west of Miranda. 3273 marijuana plants eradicated, according to Lt. Chris Stoots from the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Two handguns and four long guns were confiscated also.

Stoots said that officers from his agency were on a foot patrol of Salmon Creek earlier this year when they noticed large amounts of debris in the stream. “A short distance upstream from the debris, they identified several large greenhouses with growing marijuana plants,” explained Stoots. The agency applied for and received a search warrant from the Superior Court of Humboldt County. Then served it Thursday, said Stoots.

map of marijuana greenhouses

Using Google Maps imagery taken in 2014, we’ve circled the greenhouses shown at the property; not all of these may have been in use. By 2017 there is at least one more greenhouse that is not shown on the image. Possibly some of these greenhouses shown are no longer in use though at least three of them were at the time of the raid.

The Department of Fish and Wildlife took Evaristo Escalante Medrano, Joshua David Roberson, and Charles Thomas Oneal to the Humboldt County Jail. The owner, Medrano, had two outstanding Humboldt County warrants for a DUI and a drunk in public. Roberson was in violation of his probation. Oneal was a parolee at large which means that he had failed to meet the terms of his parole usually by leaving the area and not contacting his parole officer.

Merano was charged with Unauthorized Cultivation, harvesting or processing in Violation of Fish and Game Code, Possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony (whether armed or not), Maintaining a Drug House, Streambed Alteration, Littering within 150 feet of a waterway, and Water Pollution.

Roberson is charged with Probation Violation, Possession of a Controlled Substance, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Oneal is charged with Parol Violation and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

All three are still in custody. Medrano has $155,000 bail. Roberson (bail unknown) and Oneal (no bail allowed.) [At the time of this posting, law enforcement had not yet released their mugshots.]

According to a spokesperson for Fish and Wildlife, the agency was aided by the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Department, Mendocino County Sheriff’s Department, Cal Fire, Humboldt County Environmental Health, the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, and Humboldt County Code Enforcement.

Black plastic strung up as a makeshift shield by the residents to keep those traveling by on the County Road from seeing their property. Note the cardboard attached at the bottom of the plastic. [Photo by Kym Kemp]

Earlier Chapter: Law Enforcement Conducting an Apparent Raid in the Salmon Creek Area West of Miranda

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44 Comments
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shawn the fisherman
Guest
shawn the fisherman
6 years ago

Oh thank Jesus! These criminals were stopped sooner rather than later.. Salmon creek deserves clean tributaries. The fish are far more important than these turds.. Seem like everybody has forgotten that around here. Only thing better would be to bust them just before harvest so they are out that much more money! Grow the salmon and catch [edit] the growers.

LL
Guest
LL
6 years ago

They say the fish are gone which I think happened within the last 10 years.

pb
Guest
pb
6 years ago
Reply to  LL

agreed

Country Grown
Guest
Country Grown
6 years ago

Disgusting

Geust
Guest
Geust
6 years ago

With all that room, why put greenhouses so close to the creek? Sounds like these may have given up the whole operation. Great job DFW.

Shadow
Guest
Shadow
6 years ago
Reply to  Geust

As a neighbor and drive by this mess, it’s probably because it’s on a north east steep slope. Put em as far away from the hill as possible. They don’t give a shit anyway. [edit] – tweek – garbage dump – crappy fence -shady characters – pos cars on county road – shady deal to “buy” the property in the first place imperium!

Jeffersonion
Guest
Jeffersonion
6 years ago

Latino felon employing white trash felons. Welcome to Humboldt! That’s what ill-concieved laws and regulations create. The fiction of medical marijuana. The haphazard attempt at regulation. The defiance of federal law by the states. The inability to enforce. The rats see, the rats come. What do they have to loose? They know Jerry Brown will release them after a short stay.

Veterans friend
Guest
Veterans friend
6 years ago
Reply to  Jeffersonion

Race is not only irrelevant, the very concept is fiction. Get over it. Why would it matter that the scum of which you speak is latino? Are you suggesting that he is worse or better than your bigoted self?

Wade Harris
Guest
6 years ago

Not worse then me

Shit Head Dave
Guest
Shit Head Dave
6 years ago
Reply to  Wade Harris

I’m actually the worst!!

Higher Power has so much saving to do
Guest
Higher Power has so much saving to do
6 years ago

Addiction.
The costs are many.

There are endless amounts of people who like to judge and try to control others while traveling down their own chaotic, out-of-control road of faults and weaknesses. Isn’t it ironic?

Silverlining
Guest
Silverlining
6 years ago

Hey look, upper left side, I think that’s S.O.D.

Guest
Guest
Guest
6 years ago
Reply to  Silverlining

S.o.d.?

visitor
Guest
visitor
6 years ago
Reply to  Silverlining

Sudden Oak Death. Yes, it does look like it there. A few more below the second greenhouse from the top on the right.

Game Warden to the right of the tree is checking out the weirdo doll torso/head peeking out from behind the tree:
comment image

Concerned Fortuna Resident
Guest
Concerned Fortuna Resident
6 years ago

Does not surprise me in the least. I saw neighbors packing up food and beverages for a stay at grow. Hopefully, this was them.

Bilbo baggins
Guest
Bilbo baggins
6 years ago

We’ll your odds that this was your neighbors was like uhh?? 1 in 10thousand.

Guest
Guest
Guest
6 years ago

Sure it wasn’t a lake trip? How would you know what they were packing up for? You sound like a nosy neighbor.

MOGTX
Guest
6 years ago

Great job DFW for taking Out the trash .it’s GROWERS like them that gives the little guy a bad name towards the mom and pops farms .looks like they were stealing water .right out of the creek.,and with the depo hoop house right next to it means run off goes in the creek,and that causes green algae. There I’m sure a whole bunch more doing the sa me thing. Again thanks DFW beat that
ass.

Revenue sharing
Guest
Revenue sharing
6 years ago
Reply to  MOGTX

Hey Pop, look at it this way. Now the line will be shorter when you go in to pay your taxes.

California Budget – “About $100 million will go to software, personnel and other costs of preparing for the start of marijuana sales to adults over 21. The state will create a tax office in California’s North Coast region, from San Francisco to the border with Oregon, a prime area for growing marijuana, so farmers can conveniently file their taxes.”

Buzz
Guest
Buzz
6 years ago

That there’s a handsome fence, real fine work fellas!

Perspective
Guest
Perspective
6 years ago

“Harvesting or processing violation” i wish they would speak on this. Could be something as simple as not leaving a skin tag on rockfish

Double speak outside of cheek
Guest
Double speak outside of cheek
6 years ago

What are they doing playing hide and seek with the dummies?? Catch me big boy. Catch me!

Actual Old School
Guest
Actual Old School
6 years ago

Should have parked up on Salmon Creek for a week and taken out much more. Then go to another neighborhood for a week and do the same. This haphazard approach is inefficient and stupid. Only appears to be enforcement and everybody knows it’s useless. Bring in real eradication and multiple chippers- destroy the profit motive for the big and ugly grows and we might believe you are honest about saving our creeks. This is only money generation for CDFW and will have little environmental benefit overall.

Guest
Guest
Guest
6 years ago

May that fence is awesome! No way any things getting through that! Blends right in to the surroundings too! I really need to hire that engineering firm to build me one, probably cost a fortune though.

visitor
Guest
visitor
6 years ago
Reply to  Guest

“Note the cardboard attached at the bottom of the plastic.”

Good one, Kym!

Guest
Guest
Guest
6 years ago
Reply to  Guest

Damn spell check, it’s supposed to say “man” not may.

curious
Guest
curious
6 years ago

These are only the ‘footsoldiers’… WHO set them up is the bigger question.

G-MAS
Guest
G-MAS
6 years ago

Stay classy HUMBOLDT

Justanopinion
Guest
Justanopinion
6 years ago

Fencing like that screams ” trashy grow site” . They would have been better off with no fence.

Guest
Guest
Guest
6 years ago
Reply to  Justanopinion

It sure does, but if the fence look like that I can’t imagine what behind it looks like.

Honeydew Bridge C.H.U.M.P.
Guest
Honeydew Bridge C.H.U.M.P.
6 years ago

Everyone in Salmon Creek needs an APC and platoon to search for marijuana.

Take a poll, more are terrorist growers causing 911’s than living with nature.

Backup should be called, Navy missile frigates offshore, terrorists uprooted.

ED Denson
Guest
ED Denson
6 years ago

Kym, if you go to the Planning Dept home page there is a link to the Humboldt County GIS. Plug in the parcel number (I dont know where you get it) and bingo a 2014 map. Mess around a bit and there’s a link to later Google earth images probably 2015 or 2015. With out the parcel number its going to take lots more messing around to get to the target parcel.

I think the press release elided things a bit. I don’t think there is such a crime as cultivation, processing etc in violation of the F&G code. Illegal cultivation (again nothing about 215s or county permits in the press release) with certain F&G violations is a felony under the Health and Safety Code.

Jussayin
Guest
Jussayin
6 years ago

Your information is incorrect. You have Joshua and that other guy mixed up. He is not a parolee at large and he wasnt wanted. He had a driving on a suspended. Getting facts straight is important if you are sharing it publicly.

Notasnorth
Guest
Notasnorth
6 years ago

Getting parcel numbers is actually.quite easy… theiris an app called land glide that tells you the parcel and owners name. Along with property lines.

mindwrap
Guest
mindwrap
6 years ago
Reply to  Notasnorth

land glide only lets you open it a few times then shuts you off if you don’t buy the app….at least thats what happened on my fone.

Workadayguy
Guest
Workadayguy
6 years ago

More of this Please! No more ‘ go to Humboldt and rig a big grow with no fear of LE’…times have changed outlaw growers, Downey has retired and a whole new crew is coming on board to put a stop to this ‘land rape’ and community menace, thanks to all esp. F&W staff…keep it going all summer people

Wade Harris
Guest
6 years ago
Reply to  Workadayguy

Sorry buddy I work nights

Sonny
Guest
Sonny
6 years ago

You guys are such hypocrits. Everybody is happy this site was busted but you then go back to smoking your dope. I live on Thomas road and I’m not 420 friendly. I’ll bet in the only person on here that isn’t growing, selling or using. If you live in a glass house you shouldn’t throw stones.

Solve the Real Crimes
Guest
Solve the Real Crimes
6 years ago

Meanwhile in Eureka 4 burglaries happened, 2 cars stolen, a rape, 100 homicides unsolved…. this is what happens when police focus more on uprooting the pagan cannabis herb instead of performing investigations and crime solving. What a complete waste of tax and law enforcement dollars….

Bozo the Clone
Guest
Bozo the Clone
6 years ago

These people are adding to the destruction of the watershed! Causing wildlife extinction (Salmon), is a much worse crime than any of the human on human offenses you mentioned. There are 7.5 billion humans on the planet using or destroying resources. Soon there will be nothing left for anyone or anything because of human greed (pagan cannabis herb growers). This is such unfortunate stupidity.

George

Olaf
Guest
Olaf
6 years ago

So lets not forget we had over 120 inches of rain last rain season, or was it more like 130 inches??
There was more sediment than ever below any given grow or culvert,..
Geology dictates sediment Ali,g with road use and natural erosion.
Goid deal on shutting this shady operation down, half the grows have no intent on going legal or complying, its free pickins for law enforcement. Keep on eliminating the bad seeds.