Police Arrest Ventura Man, Seize Pot Plants

VENTURA —  A 28-year-old Ventura man was arrested Sunday afternoon when police found 250 marijuana plants inside his home, authorities said.

Aaron Malone was taken into custody about 3:15 p.m. at his residence in the 600 block of Arbor Drive, Ventura Police Sgt. Brock Avery said. Malone was booked into Ventura Jail on suspicion of cultivating marijuana. Bail was set at $15,000.

Officers had gone to the home looking for another man who was named in an arrest warrant. The man being sought wasn’t there, but officers searched the house because Malone is on probation for being under the influence of a controlled substance and is required to consent to random searches, authorities said.

Inside a bedroom, police said they found the plants along with lights, fans and humidifiers that promote plant growth.

The plants, which were confiscated by police, were at various stages of growth, so police were uncertain about the street value. Some high-grade marijuana is worth up to $4,000 per plant, authorities said.