Authorities in Texas have reported that a 41-year-old man was taken into custody and several marijuana plants were seized on the morning of Jan. 26 when officers from the DeSoto City Police Department visited a home to follow up on a domestic violence complaint. The man has been charged with possessing drug paraphernalia, but additional counts are said to be pending. They are expected to be filed when the plant material recovered at the scene has been analyzed by forensic scientists.
The events took place in DeSoto at a residence on Urban Drive. According to a DCPD report, officers were conducting interviews inside the home when a man walked out of a nearby bedroom and left the door wide open. When the officers glanced inside the bedroom, they claim to have observed an elaborate horticultural operation bathed in a pink glow. This prompted the officers to detain the man they had seen leaving the bedroom.
Officers questioned the man and then requested a search warrant that would allow them to inspect the bedroom more fully. The warrant was soon obtained, and police quickly determined that the room contained what appeared to be several marijuana plants. The plants were then seized along with several items of alleged drug paraphernalia and an undisclosed number of firearms.
The penalties for violating Texas drug laws can be severe, but experienced criminal defense attorneys could urge prosecutors to take a more lenient stance in cases involving drug charges when presented with facts like these. Attorneys could argue that marijuana plants found in a residence were being grown for the occupant’s personal use and not for distribution and sale.