An affidavit written to a judge in an attempt to get a search warrant said a resident of the street literally sniffed out the illegal operation.
Deputy Patrick G. Walls wrote that on June 12, the resident called him to report that she “regularly smells a strong odor of marijuana coming from 14094 Tiger Lilly Ct. and saw … there was an extra air conditioning unit sitting on cinder blocks, which turns on at (7 p.m.) every day and runs through the night. The informant said she only sees the tenants every few days and does not believe anyone is living in the residence.”
On June 14, Walls went to the caller’s backyard, from where he said he could smell marijuana. All of the windows were blocked, and the air conditioning unit had a power line that ran into the garage “where the electrical bypasses for marijuana cultivation houses are usually located,” Walls wrote.
On June 15, Walls spoke with Ed Cervantes, a “Revenue Protection Investigator” with Southern California Edison. Cervantes concluded that electricity was being stolen because the electricity bill was small compared with how much amperage was being drawn from the residence, Walls wrote.
Walls saw the lights and air conditioning unit turn on at 7 p.m. that day, and again at that time on June 16.
