EVERETT — This burgeoning crop wasn’t homework for horticulture class or an entry for a science fair.
It was a hidden marijuana-growing operation, and police allege the teenaged children living in the home were expected to help tend the crop as part of their chores.
Now, four kids are in the care of state Child Protective Services and an Everett couple is under investigation for possible violation of state drug laws.
The husband and wife were arrested Wednesday and booked into the Snohomish County Jail after detectives from the Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force seized 64 plants from the basement of their north Everett home. No charges have been filed.
The man’s 13-year-old daughter brought the growing operation to the attention of authorities. She told them she was “tired of always smelling like marijuana,” according to the search warrant affidavit.
Reached on the phone Friday, the girl’s father said he was on his way to work out of state and could not talk. He said he would be willing to discuss the case later.
He and his wife had paperwork authorizing them to use and grow marijuana for medical purposes. However, the amount found in the home was at least double what could be considered necessary for their care, said Everett police Lt. Mark St. Clair, a member of the drug task force.
In addition, the couple faces potential trouble for allegedly involving children in growing pot. The search warrant sought evidence that the couple had involved somebody under age 18 in a controlled-substances transaction, something that is prohibited under state law.
It is not unusual to find children living in homes where pot is being grown, St. Clair said.
“Usually we don’t get evidence of information that the children are involved in the grow,” he said.
The girl reported the marijuana operation to school officials, who contacted police. The girl said her responsibilities included mixing the soil with fertilizer, trimming the leaves, watering the plants and to “pot them up,” according to court papers. She also said she believed her dad was selling marijuana to his friends.
The girl said her 12-year-old brother helped her dad tend to the plants more than she did.
An older stepsister told a Child Protective Services worker that her friends aren’t allowed to come to the front door and must wait a block away to meet her. She said she hated growing marijuana and that her dad recently had given her $10 for helping mix potting soil.
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com
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