JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – State agents found 1,654 marijuana plants growing in a Mandarin house Tuesday and arrested two men, including one who was renting the home, authorities said.
According to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents were tipped off to a possible marijuana grow operation by JEA, which noticed the house on Caron Drive was pulling so much power that a transformer feeding the home blew out twice. As they approached, the agents said they could smell a strong of marijuana coming from the home and saw someone "moving frantically throughout the yard and garage area."
According to the arrest report, agents approached James Chisholm, 34, who said he did not live there, but one of the agents recognized him from a previous grow-house operation. With the help of the man's lawyer, police were given permission to search the property and found the plants growing.
Chisholm and Berlin Thomas, 45, who was in the house when it was raided, were arrested charged with trafficking in marijuana in excess of 25 pounds.
The homeowner, who wished to remain anonymous, told News4Jax that his tenant was referred to him four years ago and he never had a problem with him. He said he'd even pay his rent a couple months in advanced in all cash.
"His rental application said he was a landscape guy. He did maintenance and stuff like that," the homeowner said.
The homeowner said he had no idea what was going on inside his property.
"No, not at the time, never," he said.
Inside the home, there was a hydroponic system and multiple tanks of carbon dioxide.
"It was a big room, a super nice room. When I walked in here, and seeing this wall built and an AC unit sitting in the middle of it, I was amazed. I just couldn't believe it. They built this wall. They drilled the holes in the tile and set this AC unit right there," the homeowner said.
Even the electrical system was rearranged, the homeowner said.
"This is the electrical panel that was giving him free power. It had a cable running through the attic and it was tapped into the JEA service line that was coming into the house before the meter. So everything that came off of the panel, he wasn't paying for," the homeowner said.
The homeowner said he will have to pay to clean up the mess left behind. Next time, he said he'll do a walk through of his home every six months.
Chisholm and Thomas both posted $5,000 bail Wednesday.
The homeowner said Chisholm will stop by the home this weekend to pick up a few of his items.