Three people were arrested last week after sheriff’s deputies raided a downtown Felton home known by neighbors for its shady traffic.
Following a tip about narcotics activity, Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies served a search warrant Friday, Feb. 4, at 138 Felton Empire Road and found a commercial marijuana grow operation with more than 250 plants. They also discovered several people allegedly under the influence of drugs.
Rachel McGuire, 40, and Lonnie Geist, 51, were arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of methamphetamine. McGuire had another person’s credit card with he,r and Geist was in possession of a club, police reported. Both were on probation for similar crimes and were booked into county jail.
A third person, Kelly Hawkins, was cited for possession of drug paraphernalia and released.
The house, a three-unit rental, was red-tagged because of an unpermitted rental unit underneath the house. Old vehicles, garbage and appliances were strewn all over the property.
“It’s been a continual source of blight in that neighborhood and a nuisance to neighbors,” Sgt. Mark Yanez said.
The property was originally identified by the county planning department as “neglected” in 1998, according to the county planning department. The lot has been red-tagged three times, and each time, property owner Jack Smith improved it enough to remove the designation. However, neighbors say it’s always been a problem.
“It seems like he cleans it up and then it comes back the same way,” said one neighbor, who wished to be unnamed.
“I think they deal drugs,” another woman said. “There’s always people fighting there.”
The woman said neighbors have met with their county supervisor and the sheriff’s department, but things always remained the same.
“The big nuisance has been the beat-up cars parked on the corner,” she said. “They block the view when you turn.”
Yanez said deputies are aware of the problems with the house and will continue to patrol the area.
“I’m hoping the problem gets taken care of,” he said.
