ChicoER Breaking News
Butte Co, California
OROVILLE — Police have arrested 12 people on marijuana-related charges following an investigation into the man charged for the death of a bicycle rider.
District Attorney Mike Ramsey said today the investigation into Riley Dean Hoover, 19, led to police searching locations in Chico and Berry Creek earlier this month. Eleven people, largely from the Midwest, were arrested at three locations, while a woman was arrested in Illinois.
Hoover is charged with felony driving under the influence for allegedly striking bicycle rider Kristina Chesterman, 21, as she was returning home on Nord Avenue on Sept. 22. He is also charged with transporting marijuana for sale and a count of manufacturing refined marijuana was added as a result of the ongoing investigation.
A subsequent search of Hoover's vehicle reported revealed 2.95 pounds of hashish, packaged for mailing, Ramsey said. Officers also reportedly found honey oil residue on the outside of the packages.
Police sought search warrants and eventually found marijuana plants, evidence of labs for refining marijuana into honey oil, and indications the marijuana was being shipped across the country. The defendants allegedly mailed the packages from post offices in Chico, Sacramento and Oakland.
Investigators also found medical marijuana recommendations at all locations, but Ramsey said they appeared to be merely a cover for the grows. The defendants were allegedly using some people's recommendations without permission.
Ramsey said the first search warrant was served at a property on Horseshoe Road in Berry Creek. A grow was located there and a second grow was located on an adjacent property.
At that site, police arrested Sarah Elizabeth Heath, Kathryn Rachel McCoy, Harrison Andrew Leguire and Gary Lee Luttman Jr. Ramsey said Luttman was on parole from Oregon.
Another warrant was served on Webster Road in Berry Creek. Ramsey said police reportedly found another honey oil lab and components that matched an earlier pipe bomb. A MAC-11 assault pistol was also reportedly found there.
Police arrested Anthony Paul Elder, Jeremy Adam James, David Eric Richmond and Tiffany Ann Tackett.
On Oct. 17, officials searched Hoover's Nord Avenue apartment and found information that led to a residence on the 3000 block of Coronado Road in Chico. After seeing evidence of cultivation there, police obtained a search warrant. Ramsey said they found another honey oil lab, shipping packaging and evidence that allegedly ties that site to the others.
Police arrested Leonard Cooney Loomis, David Samuel Miller and Cassandra Kay Burdel.
Officials also tracked a package shipped to Illinois, leading to the arrest of a woman there on several felony charges, Ramsey said.
Ramsey said it appeared the defendants were a loose network of associates. He said there was now information Hoover came to the area in January. The prosecutor had earlier said Hoover had requested a medical marijuana recommendation in April.
Hoover had been on probation in Ohio following his conviction on two counts of drug trafficking on Aug. 27, 2012. He had received permission to transfer his probation to Colorado in December, but an Ohio court official has said Hoover didn't ask to relocate to California.
Heath, McCoy, Leguire, Luttman have all been charged with felony counts of cultivating marijuana, possessing it for sale and being an accessory after the fact, according to online court records. All three, except Leguire, have also been charged with marijuana sales or transportation.
Their next court appearance to enter an initial plea is Nov. 6.
Richmond has been charged with cultivation, possession for sales, sales, manufacturing a controlled substance, possessing an assault weapon and possessing a ingestion or injection device. His next court appearance to enter an initial plea is today.
Loomis and Miller have pleaded not guilty to felony counts of manufacturing a controlled substance and pot cultivation. A preliminary hearing has been set for Nov. 5.
Online court records don't have current entries for Burdel, Elder, James, Tackett.
http://www.chicoer.com/breakingnews...ot-charges-following-investigation-into-fatal
Butte Co, California
OROVILLE — Police have arrested 12 people on marijuana-related charges following an investigation into the man charged for the death of a bicycle rider.
District Attorney Mike Ramsey said today the investigation into Riley Dean Hoover, 19, led to police searching locations in Chico and Berry Creek earlier this month. Eleven people, largely from the Midwest, were arrested at three locations, while a woman was arrested in Illinois.
Hoover is charged with felony driving under the influence for allegedly striking bicycle rider Kristina Chesterman, 21, as she was returning home on Nord Avenue on Sept. 22. He is also charged with transporting marijuana for sale and a count of manufacturing refined marijuana was added as a result of the ongoing investigation.
A subsequent search of Hoover's vehicle reported revealed 2.95 pounds of hashish, packaged for mailing, Ramsey said. Officers also reportedly found honey oil residue on the outside of the packages.
Police sought search warrants and eventually found marijuana plants, evidence of labs for refining marijuana into honey oil, and indications the marijuana was being shipped across the country. The defendants allegedly mailed the packages from post offices in Chico, Sacramento and Oakland.
Investigators also found medical marijuana recommendations at all locations, but Ramsey said they appeared to be merely a cover for the grows. The defendants were allegedly using some people's recommendations without permission.
Ramsey said the first search warrant was served at a property on Horseshoe Road in Berry Creek. A grow was located there and a second grow was located on an adjacent property.
At that site, police arrested Sarah Elizabeth Heath, Kathryn Rachel McCoy, Harrison Andrew Leguire and Gary Lee Luttman Jr. Ramsey said Luttman was on parole from Oregon.
Another warrant was served on Webster Road in Berry Creek. Ramsey said police reportedly found another honey oil lab and components that matched an earlier pipe bomb. A MAC-11 assault pistol was also reportedly found there.
Police arrested Anthony Paul Elder, Jeremy Adam James, David Eric Richmond and Tiffany Ann Tackett.
On Oct. 17, officials searched Hoover's Nord Avenue apartment and found information that led to a residence on the 3000 block of Coronado Road in Chico. After seeing evidence of cultivation there, police obtained a search warrant. Ramsey said they found another honey oil lab, shipping packaging and evidence that allegedly ties that site to the others.
Police arrested Leonard Cooney Loomis, David Samuel Miller and Cassandra Kay Burdel.
Officials also tracked a package shipped to Illinois, leading to the arrest of a woman there on several felony charges, Ramsey said.
Ramsey said it appeared the defendants were a loose network of associates. He said there was now information Hoover came to the area in January. The prosecutor had earlier said Hoover had requested a medical marijuana recommendation in April.
Hoover had been on probation in Ohio following his conviction on two counts of drug trafficking on Aug. 27, 2012. He had received permission to transfer his probation to Colorado in December, but an Ohio court official has said Hoover didn't ask to relocate to California.
Heath, McCoy, Leguire, Luttman have all been charged with felony counts of cultivating marijuana, possessing it for sale and being an accessory after the fact, according to online court records. All three, except Leguire, have also been charged with marijuana sales or transportation.
Their next court appearance to enter an initial plea is Nov. 6.
Richmond has been charged with cultivation, possession for sales, sales, manufacturing a controlled substance, possessing an assault weapon and possessing a ingestion or injection device. His next court appearance to enter an initial plea is today.
Loomis and Miller have pleaded not guilty to felony counts of manufacturing a controlled substance and pot cultivation. A preliminary hearing has been set for Nov. 5.
Online court records don't have current entries for Burdel, Elder, James, Tackett.
http://www.chicoer.com/breakingnews...ot-charges-following-investigation-into-fatal
