What brought 23-year-old Connor Patrick Rhodes all the way across the country, from Mills River North Carolina to the shores of Clear Lake, is not known, but probably had something to do with an internet connection and 22-year-old Brittany Suzanne Rovzar, who lives in Lower Lake.
Connor Patrick Rhodes of Mill Creek North Carolina
According to the Lake County Sheriff’s public information officer Steve Brooks, the college age pair were running an extensive marijuana business out of both Rovzar’s Oak Haven Road home and a Mustang Court location that may have been where Rhodes was staying. (His residence of record is still in North Carolina.) The heart of the operation seemed to be the rural Oak Haven home, located about 5 miles east of central Lower Lake along Morgan Valley Road. Detectives served a search warrant on the property last Friday, December 13th, at 7:30 in the morning. They found evidence there of marijuana being cultivated both indoors and out.
The detectives also located 60 pounds of processed, packaged marijuana and another 300 pounds of loose processed marijuana. Tools of the trade on site included digital scales and packing materials, along with $6,600 in cash, apparently proceeds from drug sales. Miss Rovzar was also arrested while in possession of two loaded .22 caliber rifles, however, she never used them to threaten the detectives or resist her arrest.
Evidence seized in the arrests included 460 lbs. of marijuana, 2 .22 rifles, a digital scale, and $6600 cash.
At 8:40 that morning, detectives turned their attention to the 16000 Mustang Court location, which is located closer to Lower Lake’s town center, and may have been their operation’s “retail” location. Only 100 pounds of pot were found there, along with items of identification that linked both suspects to the home. Connor Rhodes was also arrested without incident, and a 2008 Chevrolet pickup was seized. The truck was apparently a business investment they have both made, purchasing it together with proceeds from prior sales.
Residents on Mustang Court were probably not aware the two young people were conducting a marijuana business on their street.
The two would-be business people were taken to the Lake County Hill Road correctional facility and booked for cultivation of marijuana. Miss Rovzar also faces charges of being armed while committing a drug offense. The cash and the truck are pending forfeiture proceedings if they can be proved to be assets gained form illegal drug sales. The Sheriff’s Department encourages anyone with information about potential illegal drug operations to contact them anonymously at 707-263-3663.
