A Pace woman, Kayle Georgialene McCormick, 52, according to Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office, was charged with third degree marijuana producing on Tuesday. Reports said it was a fire that eventually led to McCormick's arrest. The Harold Fire Department discovered the marijuana operation while responding to a fire at McCormick's address, reports said in February. According to the sheriff's report, the Fire Marshal determined the cause of the fire to be the ballast, a transformer lights use in order to work.
When the Santa Rosa Narcotics Unit responded, reports said they discovered a total of 167 marijuana plants as well as 10 grow lights, 6 track systems, and fans between two rooms in the single-wide mobile home. Reports also said the narcotics unit found thermometers, timers, seed pods, multiple types of fertilizer, "grow" calendars, "grow instructions," and more.
Reports said detectives went about dismantling the grow operation. Detectives pulled the marijuana plants finding roots on every plant reports said, and removed them from the home. The other equipment and items detectives removed, turned in as evidence, or were made inoperable reports said.
The only furniture found in the room, reports went on to say, was a kitchen table with chairs and a stereo/8-track system. McCormick was released on Wednesday on $2,500 bond.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Fire leads Sheriff’s Office to 167 marijuana plants