http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-altamonte-marijuana-grow-house-20100518,0,3882580.story
Acting on a tip, Altamonte Springs police served a search warrant today at a storage facility where four units had been converted into a marijuana grow house.
Madison Eugene Priest, 54, of St. Cloud, was at the facility when officers arrived and faces charges of possession and cultivation of marijuana, said Altamonte Springs police Officer Timothy Hyer. At the time of his arrest, Priest was on federal probation for the same charges, Hyer said.
Late last year, Priest rented four units at Business and Storage, Hyer said.
He totally remodeled the inside of the units, connecting them and building walls and ceilings, Hyer said.
"He did a great job of building the inside of the place," Hyer said.
But Priest's growing skills were lacking, he said.
Agents found hundreds of energy-efficient fluorescent light bulbs, apparently the wrong kind for growing plants, Hyer said. It also appeared the plants were not getting adequate water or nutes, he said. There was no plumbing inside the storage units, so Priest was using condensation from air conditioning units to water the plants. He was also bringing in water from nearby Lake Mary Jane on weekends.
Officers confiscated 138 plants, the largest no taller than 18 to 24 inches, Hyer said. Considering the length of time the plants had been growing, "He should have had huge plants," Hyer said.
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