UPPER LAKE, LAKE COUNTY – Detectives from the Sheriff’s Narcotics Task force headed up north along Highway 20 into the wooded hills above Clear Lake and the town of Upper Lake to the area near the smaller Blue Lakes and the Pine Acres resort, almost halfway to Lake Mendocino and Ukiah. They had secured a search warrant for a property along the highway on suspected illegal narcotics.
Detectives served a warrant at this property along Highway 20.
According to Steve Brooks of the Sheriff’s office, the detectives arrived Wednesday morning, August 6 at about 7:50 am, and headed up the long driveway past the gate. When they got to the front door, they saw a man look out at them through the sliding glass door and turn away. They heard him running through the house. While some of the detectives went in to pursue him through the house, others circled around to the back. He ran out the back door, and was immediately confronted by the detectives and detained. He was identified as the resident, Reid Lyndon Bruce, 56-years-old.
The detectives in the house found the other resident, 45-year-old Crystal Lynn Pulido, and detained her without trouble. The search of the house revealed a desk with methamphetamine crystals and four glass meth pipes. The meth was later weighed at 11.6 grams. An additional meth pipe and several Diazepam pills were located in Pulido’s purse, which was sitting on the desk. Diazepam is a prescription drug which is known to be abused. Diazepam is also known as Valium, and is normally used to treat anxiety, insomnia, and other conditions. When abused it can result in dependence or addiction, with potential mental confusion or amnesia, impaired motor functions, or other conditions, even coma.
Methamphetamine and Marijuana plants found at the property.
The continued search of the house turned up multiple bags of processed marijuana, in a desk drawer and in each of the bedrooms. A total of 21.5 pounds was seized. They found additional evidence of marijuana and meth sales as well. Moving to the garage they found a marijuana cultivation setup, with three rooms built inside, all with high pressure sodium light bulbs and shrouds designed to grow marijuana indoors. No active plants were growing there at the time, however.
Outside in the summer air, however, they did find a total of 259 marijuana plants being grown in hoop style greenhouses set up behind the large multi-story home. The detectives eradicated the plants per normal procedures. Bruce and Pulido, when interviewed, said they didn’t know anything about those plants, or who was growing them. Neither had a medical marijuana recommendation.
This was not the first encounter with the law for either of them. Pulido was arrested in November of last year by the Medocino Sheriff’s office for public intoxication while in Ukiah. At the time, she was listed as a transient. Dating back to 2005, she was charged with battery on a spouse or co-habitant, and in 2008 for growing, selling and possessing marijuana. Records show that Bruce was arrested in 2006 while already on probation for possession of drug paraphernalia and a controlled substance, and in 2007 for being a felon in possession of a firearm. More recently, on the same day Pulido was arrested for intoxication – November 28, 2013, he was picked up for driving with a suspended licence. They were arrested by different agencies, so there is no indication they were together then. (Perhaps they met in jail.) He lived in Willits in Mendocino County at the time.
This time, both Pulido and Bruce were arrested for possession of a controlled substance, and marijuana for sale, marijuana cultivation, and possession of paraphernalia. Bruce was also charge with resisting arrest. Both were booked at the County Hill Road Correctional Facility.
