Probation search leads to marijuana garden

 NEVADA CITY, CA —  A probation search in Nevada City late Thursday afternoon led to the arrest of Blake A. Smith after officers discovered 61 marijuana plants on the premises.

  “It was a combination indoor-outdoor garden,” Nevada County Sheriff Keith Royal said, then added that the 42 year old suspect was also found in possession of so-called psychadelic mushrooms, peyote, equipment used to seperate the pot into salable quantities and $1,000 in cash.

   The search, which was conducted in the 14-thousand block of Moon Shadow Street, also turned up two medical marijuana permits “but the amount of marijuana we found was way over the allowable limit,” Royal added.

   Nevada County Sheriff’s Office LIeutenant Frank Koehler earlier estimated that marijuana, in one-pound packages, was going for about $3,500 locally, and also said that a good-sized, well-taken-care-of mature plant easily could produce up to three pounds of the illicit weed.

   Smith was booked at the Nevada County Jail on suspicion of possessing controlled substances, cultivation of marijuana, and possession of marijuana for sale.

   Bail was set at $10,000, and not as an afterthought, his probation was revoked.