Adios, Amigos

researchkitty said:

Actually, its not yours to dispose of. Once used illegally, its also a felony to sell the used equipment. Might wanna check on that.

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I]ll check with the lawyer. Thanks for the heads-up.

Breaks my heart to hear this, Flash. Thinking positive thoughts for you and your family.

Azoned said:

being as you have a clean record and all the other factors...age, dependants, etc. Your lawyer should be able to bargain down to simple possession...which may mean probation and a fine. In AZ, growing constitutes mfg narcotics, which is an automatic felony...regardless of quantity. Unless they REALLY want you, you'll be fine. Just keep your head and don't do anything stupid....and DO NOT TALK TO ANYONE ABOUT THIS!!!! ....."they" are listening.

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Boy howdy, are they listening! I'll see what the lawyer has to say. If it's mine to dispose of, as I believe it is, I'll get what I can for it. Or I'll give it away, rather than let those jack-booted thugs have it. Will have more info after a meeting Monday morning.

But my understanding of the situation, as explained by the lawyer, under current Florida law, if they didn't take it away as evidence, it's mine to dispose of. Now, I understand that folks might be shy about coming to pick up this stuff,at any price, including free. I'm playing it by ear. Whatever I might get for it is a drop in the bucket anyway - I'd just like to see it not go to waste.

It's not easy being green......

"they" hear even innocent remarks.

I made a comment on a forum about how the Iraq war cleared out inventory of old cruise missiles...two days later I got a "Sorry, wrong number" call from Raytheon at 8:00AM. Honest to God.
Do not say anything here that you don't want THE WHOLE WORLD to know.

Azoned said:

"they" hear even innocent remarks.

I made a comment on a forum about how the Iraq war cleared out inventory of old cruise missiles...two days later I got a "Sorry, wrong number" call from Raytheon at 8:00AM. Honest to God.
Do not say anything here that you don't want THE WHOLE WORLD to know.

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Wow that's weird, I got a call from suburban ford (unknown number) asking for me, when I confirmed I was me he said oh ur spencer? I said yeah? Click! I called suburban ford back and they said they never tried to reach me. I shut shit down for a while but recently started growing again but this time I'm 100% legal (not that I wasn't before)

I have a few questions. How did the police get a warrant to search your property? they had to have had a little more than someone's word to get a judge to sign a search and seizure warrant....and I don't understand why they would just take the plants and not the equipment, being as it is evidence. 2 1000w lights...how many plants are we talking here? I'd be suing the shit out of somebody...they have to have a good damn reason to get a warrant like pics...vents leading outdoors? looking in a window...making a buy....not just some douche-bags word as gospel! and then the whole craig's list post...cmon guy do I really have to tell you how shady that is?

Florida is fucked! Sorry for your grief and try to stay strong.

Makes you wonder about the wisdom of even advocating for marijuana on websites, even this one.

Darwin Riddle said:

I have a few questions. How did the police get a warrant to search your property? they had to have had a little more than someone's word to get a judge to sign a search and seizure warrant....and I don't understand why they would just take the plants and not the equipment, being as it is evidence. 2 1000w lights...how many plants are we talking here? I'd be suing the shit out of somebody...they have to have a good damn reason to get a warrant like pics...vents leading outdoors? looking in a window...making a buy....not just some douche-bags word as gospel! and then the whole craig's list post...cmon guy do I really have to tell you how shady that is?

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All excellent questions. When the cops showed up they did NOT have a warrant. They said they had an anonymous call about excessive fan noise. Now, there was no fan noise you could hear from outside, no outside venting, no FLIR signature, no odor, etc. It was a very clean, discrete setup. I'm a fairly cautious guy that way....my problem was telling a couple of friends what I was doing, and it came back around to bite me. Anyway, the cops said they would get a warrant if I didn't consent to search, and if I forced them to do that, the threat was that they would totally tear up my house rather than just the garage. I didn't let them in until I talked to a very good lawyer, who said that they certainly would get a warrant (which they were doing even as we spoke) and I should sign the consent to search.

The law in Florida says they can take just the plants, and photograph and disable the equipment but not take it as evidence. That's what they did, but they did a half-assed job of disabling the op - slashed the tents and cut some wires. It could all be brought back on line very easily - maybe that's what they're hoping for, who knows? I'm selling it or giving it away. I put up the Craigslist ad - there's no law against selling that stuff, and there's nothing left here for them to come after, so why not? I don't get what's "shady" about it.

They took 12 fairly mature plants and a bunch of seedlings and a few small ones in veg. They say it's weed, I say it was green beans.

The lawyer has some interesting ideas about how to attack this, which I can't discuss here.

Who do you think I should be suing?

Peace!

If they didnt have a warrant, why did you let them in your house? That was your mistake.

I bet they'll test your green beans, the know its weed, quit trying to hide it here so much, its laughable. This is a pot growing forum. Live up to the standard!

That's when I would have politely said "go get your warrant" and shut the door in their faces. I would be suing the police department for illegal search and seizure, if they had come in without a warrant, and there is no way in hell I would have let them in my door, no matter what they threatened to do to me. if they have no warrant they have no right to enter your property...you should have never let them walk in your door and I would have said yeah go get your warrant and I'll see you in court....you should have told them you want them off your property...you could have disposed of the plants in the meantime...if you had enough time to call a lawyer about it...and you called a lawyer while they were standing outside?? I woulda' been tearing that shit apart! I'm sorry dude but what you did was dumb...sure c'mon in?? This is still America and we are still protected by our constitutional rights!!

and then you come in here and want to try to get RIU'ers to buy your equipment?...and you don't understand what's shady about that?....are you trying to drag us down with you and your foolish mistakes? like letting the law search your home without a warrant?? are you daft man??

sending my best to you and your family. its fucking horseshit. for fuck sakes its just weed. the government claims they want to make peoples lives better but yet insist on ruining lives every day over a stupid fucking plant.

best of luck to you man, hope all works out for the best, keep your head high and chin up!!

Darwin Riddle said:

This is still America and we are still protected by our constitutional rights!!

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for now, seems like the constitustion will be a thing of the past soon if we continue to lay down to the Obama administration and the rest of the political force.

so sick of the way this goverment treats its people, if your not hurting anyone or taking things that didnt belong to you then you should be left the fuck alone. 1/2 of this coutries problem is our government and thier need to have controll overe everything and everyone.

In Florida a complaint about excessive fan noise (whether real or not) is cause enough to allow for a search of a home? That's a pretty low threshold. If they had more evidence at that point, why wouldn't they have shared it with you, hoping to further intimidate?

Something's missing here. I can't imagine a lawyer recommending a client provide access to a search before legal papers are served. This doesn't make sense.

RetiredMatthebrute said:

for now, seems like the constitustion will be a thing of the past soon if we continue to lay down to the Obama administration and the rest of the political force.

so sick of the way this goverment treats its people, if your not hurting anyone or taking things that didnt belong to you then you should be left the fuck alone. 1/2 of this coutries problem is our government and thier need to have controll overe everything and everyone.

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He let them in with no warrant....foolish indeed! and as far as I know..the constitution remains the same.

The Fourth Amendment (Amendment IV) to the United States Constitution is the part of the Bill of Rights which guards against unreasonablesearches and seizures, along with requiring any warrant to be judicially sanctioned and supported by probable cause. It was adopted as a response to the abuse of the writ of assistance, which is a type of general search warrant, in the American Revolution. Search and arrest should be limited in scope according to specific information supplied to the issuing court, usually by a law enforcement officer, who has sworn by it.

guys he said they would have gotten in one way or another.. he probably saved himself more charges or w/e by jsut letting them in. stop being assholes who think you know everything. he got a good lawyers advice and acted on it. possibly the least foolish thing he could do. he was already caught. loose lips... etc .... Flash, sorry to hear it bud, i wish you and your family all the best.

cockbag123 said:

guys he said they would have gotten in one way or another.. he probably saved himself more charges or w/e by jsut letting them in. stop being assholes who think you know everything. he got a good lawyers advice and acted on it. possibly the least foolish thing he could do. he was already caught. loose lips... etc .... Flash, sorry to hear it bud, i wish you and your family all the best.

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Your'e as dumb as he is....they would have gotten in one way or another?? lol by the time they would have "gotten in" my plants would have been history....we're not being assholes...we are being reasonable. and a good attorney said sure just let them in?? i think not sir!! oh and nice name.

cockbag123 said:

guys he said they would have gotten in one way or another.. he probably saved himself more charges or w/e by jsut letting them in. stop being assholes who think you know everything. he got a good lawyers advice and acted on it. possibly the least foolish thing he could do. he was already caught. loose lips... etc .... Flash, sorry to hear it bud, i wish you and your family all the best.

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He said they would have gotten in one way or another? Seriously? How hard is it to say "No, you cant come in my home without a warrant, goodbye" and then destroy the plants! 12 plants is CANDY to destroy! Should have been no charges, and the main reason I harp on it so much is so perhaps someone else may learn their lesson instead of repeating these terrible mistakes.... I feel for you OP, it truly does suck, but it was all preventable!

Nitegazer said:

In Florida a complaint about excessive fan noise (whether real or not) is cause enough to allow for a search of a home? That's a pretty low threshold. If they had more evidence at that point, why wouldn't they have shared it with you, hoping to further intimidate?

Something's missing here. I can't imagine a lawyer recommending a client provide access to a search before legal papers are served. This doesn't make sense.

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There is something missing...the guys common sense!! Then he wants people on here to contact him to buy his grow op gear?? I think its ludicrous!! If you came on here to educate anyone about anything it should have been why not to let the law into your home without probable cause or a warrant in hand!!

oh and I don't think I know everything...but I do know my rights as a citizen of the United States of America!! Maybe you guys should read the constitution over a bit.....not even Obama can change that!