Carson City man arrested after deputies find marijuana grow operation at residence

A 39-year-old man was arrested Wednesday on multiple drug charges and suspicion of child abuse after Carson City Sheriff's Office Special Enforcement Team found a marijuana grow operation at a Condor Circle home.

Jacob Edward Blandford was taken into custody at the residence. He was booked for suspicion of felony child abuse, felony possession of marijuana, possession of marijuana manufacturing with chemical extraction, possession of marijuana concentrate and misdemeanor marijuana cultivation.

According to the arrest report, officers with the Carson City Sheriff's Office SET conducted an investigation after an anonymous tip regarding a manufacturing grow operation. The tip came from an Empire Elementary School employee who stated that a five-year-old student smells of marijuana when the child comes to school.

Deputies went to the home and made consensual contact with Jacob Edward Blandford. Officers could smell an overwhelming odor of marijuana coming from inside the residence. The man came outside of the residence and consented to speak with officers. While speaking he stated he lives at the address. Deputies informed him they were there to speak with him regarding his marijuana grow, the arrest report states.

When the deputy informed him of the reason, he put his hands on his face, inhaled deeply and stated his wife was in the garage of the residence smoking a cigarette, the report states.

He told deputies he did not have a medical marijuana card but works at an indoor hydroponic grow in Carson City. Deputies asked for consent to enter and search the residence. The man gave consent to search the residence for the marijuana grow, the report states.

There were three small children located in the home, ages 5, 3 and a 10-month old. The man's wife denied any knowledge of any marijuana grow in the residence, the report states.

According to the arrest report the man showed deputies an enclosed wood structure within the garage that had 7 marijuana plants growing inside of it. The structure had fluorescent lights, fans, temperature gauge and humidity gauge. Outside the structure there were several one gallon jugs of clear liquid. He stated the water had a lower pH level that he specifically changed water for the marijuana plants. He stated the pH level to be approximately "5."

Nearby the wood structure grow box there were two crockpots with a brown liquid substance inside of them. The man identified the substance as "butter." He described the process of growing marijuana and turning it into a concentrate "butter" by using the cut leaves, placing them into a sock, and cooking it in water with butter. He described when the solution solidifies after cooling down the solid substance is "butter."

To the right of the marijuana grow box the man showed deputies a drying rack with marijuana buds on it. On the drying rack there was a PVC pipe capped on both ends. He opened the tube to show deputies the contents within, the report states.

Inside the tube there were marijuana clippings packed into the tube. On the caps, several small holes were drilled into the PVC. This device is known as a "blasting tube" which is used to produce butane hash oil, the report states. This process is putting marijuana trimmings inside the tube, injecting butane into the tube, which produces a concentrated cannabis oil. The process is highly volatile and flammable due to the butane gasses left off from the tube, the report states.

To the left of the drying rack there was a cooler with several glass jars inside. The jars had marijuana buds located within them. To the left of the cooler there were butane cans standing upright on the ground. The butane cans were approximately 1-2 feet away from the water heater and furnace, creating a potentially explosive environment in the garage.

After he showed deputies the grow, he showed officers another grow located upstairs within the master bedroom closet. In the master bedroom he showed another 8 marijuana plants, fans and several lights.

Located on the top of the dresser in the master bedroom was another drying rack with marijuana leaves on it. The drying rack was 4 feet from an infant's crib where the 10-month old sleeps, the report states.

At this point in the investigation, officers requested a telephonic search warrant from a judge, the report states.

After a full search, the following was found in the garage: 7 marijuana plants, 2 crockpots of marijuana concentrate, 13 jars of marijuana, (approximately 4 ounces), 2 blasting tubes, trimming tool, 1 butane can, plant tracking documents, Tupperware with marijuana concentrate (approximately 2 grams), grow light ballast, plastic bag of shake.

In the master bedroom deputies located a box of marijuana seeds, six marijuana plants in a box, red Solo cup with marijuana plant inside, 1 marijuana plant in a bag, and lighting assembly.

During the search, these items were located at ground level up to approximately 4 feet from the ground. The two grow areas are accessible by doors which are not locked, and the 5 and 3 year old are ambulatory and able to open doors, the report states.

One child was observed opening the garage door and front door to the residence several times during the investigation, and one child was seen going over the child safety gate of the stairs and walking up stairs, the report states.

The master bedroom door and master bedroom closet door were found opened and unlocked when officers arrived.

The arrest report states that the marijuana plants, concentrates, electrical equipment, chemicals and tools are accessible by the children and that there were no safe guards in place.

The suspect was placed under arrested for possession of a controlled substance, more than once ounce, possession of marijuana concentrate, (more than 1/8 an ounce) marijuana cultivation, manufacturing marijuana by chemical extraction and child abuse. He was placed into handcuffs and booked.

CPS was called and arrived on scene to assess the living conditions within the home. It noted that one of the children was recently recovered from a respiratory illness, and two other children are currently ill with a respiratory illness. The children's mother took the children to a relatives house. Total bail amount listed: $48,637.

All information for the crime log (unless otherwise noted) comes from the arrest reports supplied by the Carson City Sheriff's Office, and is considered by law to be public information. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The policy of Carson Now is to name anyone who is arrested for a felony offense.