When a Mission Viejo resident returns to her single-story house on Via San Jose, she'll be missing much more than her monthly period.
On Friday, Santa Ana police were called to a Rite Aid on South Bristol Street in Santa Ana to investigate the petty theft of a home pregnancy test by an unidentified woman.
The need to know whether she'd be a mother in nine months apparently blinded the woman to the fact that more than 200 marijuana plants quietly grew in her home in the 26900 block of Via San Jose.
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Nine months from now, she'll likely face jail time, not maternity leave.
When Santa Ana police arrived, the house was empty but the smell of marijuana was palpable from outside. After returning with a search warrant on Thursday, investigators found hundreds of plants, accompanied by a highly complex irrigation, circulation and lighting system.
No arrests have been made.
Sgt. Lorenzo Carrillo of the state Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement considered sending in a Hazmat team to dismantle the operation, the Register reports.
