Pot plants seized at residence

A small marijuana farm at a home on the 1100 block of Laguna Canyon Road was closed down by Laguna Beach police on June 20, Sgt. Darin Lenyi said.

Detectives served a search warrant on the residence at 8 p.m. and seized 28 potted marijuana plants from the rear yard area of the residence. The plants ranged in size from approximately eight inches to almost three feet in height.

A small amount of marijuana and paraphernalia was also seized from the inside of the residence.

If the plants were allowed to mature, the approximate street value of the marijuana would have been $14,000.

Richard Blanton, a 57-year-old Laguna Beach resident, was arrested at the scene on an unrelated misdemeanor warrant for suspected fighting in public, Lenyi said. He was booked at the Laguna Beach jail and released on $2,500 bail.

The case will be forwarded to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office for their review for possible charges of cultivation of marijuana, a felony, Lenyi said.