Fire Leads To Marijuana House Bust

It appears that one man's alleged home marijuana operation is now up in smoke.

A Sarasota County Sheriff's deputy responded to 3040 Hawthorne St., in central Sarasota, for a reported fire Monday night in the back yard called in by a neighbor. 

The deputy contacted the homeowner, Anthony Miller, 22, requesting the fire department be allowed access, but Miller initially denied access, according to the probable cause affidavit.

The Fire Department demanded access to his yaerd for fear of public safety, and when the deputy followed the firefighter to the back yard, the deputy spotted several large marijauana plants growing in planters, according to the affidavit. 

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Detectives then arrived on scene with a search warrant and found 16 marijuana plants outside with many of them budding. Some plants were as tall as 4 feet, according to the affidaivt. Detectives also found multiple bags and jars with marijuana plus drug paraphernalia, according to the sheriff's office. The sheriff's office seized 2,050 grams of cannabis during the search.

Miller was charged with cultivation of marijuana and released on $5,000 bond, according to the sheriff's office.