By Khalida Sarwari
A 54-year-old man was arrested in Santa Cruz on Thursday on suspicion of illegally cultivating and selling marijuana after sheriff’s deputies found more than 800 marijuana plants in an uninhabited residence that was being used as a grow house.
Santa Cruz County sheriff’s detectives arrested Greg Neal, of Santa Cruz, around 9 a.m. after serving a search warrant at his home in the 200 block of Younglove Avenue in Santa Cruz.
During their search of his home as well as another residence in the 300 block of Monterey Street in Santa Cruz, deputies recovered more than 800 marijuana plants in one of the two residences that was being used for cultivating marijuana, according to the sheriff’s office.
Deputies also found scales, packaging, and $6,000 in cash, which they believe was derived from marijuana sales.
Detectives said Neal claimed he had obtained the marijuana for his medical needs, but that the evidence showed he was growing and selling it for illegal profit.
At Neal’s home, deputies also found that he had installed an illegal electrical bypass and was stealing several thousand dollars’ worth of power from PG&E throughout the past year.
A bypass, which is done by illegally connecting into the power prior to the meter, can cause electrical fires, electrocution or periodic overloads of neighborhood transformers, according to the sheriff’s office.
A PG&E technician was called to shut off the power at the marijuana grow house.
Neal was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail on charges of cultivation and possession for sales of marijuana.
He may face additional charges of power theft.
