Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office press release:

On 08-20-2014, at approximately 9:00 a.m. Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office deputies served a Humboldt County Superior Court search warrant in the 27000 block of Highway 36, Bridgeville. When deputies served the search warrant they located six greenhouses and an outdoor marijuana garden containing 2188 growing marijuana plants ranging in size from 2 to 6 feet tall. They also located a barn type structure with 340 pounds of dried marijuana bud in it. Deputies located two men living on the property. Both men were detained, interviewed and released at the scene. The men told deputies they were from Fresno, California and admitted to working on the marijuana grows.

Deputies then drove to a residence in the 1600 block of Tompkins Hill Road, Eureka where they served another Humboldt County Superior Court search warrant.  No one was at the residence when the search warrant was served, however; deputies located $23,000 in cash, 18 pounds of dried loose marijuana, two semi-automatic weapons, a drum magazine for an assault weapon, a shotgun, a tactical raid vest with body armor and paperwork indicating sales of marijuana, and ownership of the Tompkins Hill Road Property and Highway 36 Property.

Deputies then drove to the 200 block of Price Creek Road, Ferndale, where they served another Humboldt County Superior Court search warrant. The deputies located two men on the property who were detained. Deputies located a greenhouse where marijuana plants had been recently ripped up and removed, besides a greenhouse which contained 522 growing marijuana plants that were still in the ground, those plants ranged from 2 to 4 feet tall.

Deputies arrested Timothy Douglas Chez, 32 years old who resides in the Price Creek residence. Chez was arrested for cultivation and possession for sale of marijuana. He was transported to the Humboldt County Correctional Facility where he was booked. His bail was set at $50,000.

Deputies identified, interviewed and released the other man located at the Price Creek residence after determining he had only been there a short period of time.

Deputies will be submitting a case to the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office against the men located at the Highway 36 property, and the property owners of the Tompkins Hill Road property, seeking charges of cultivation and possession for sale of marijuana. Deputies will also be seeking additional charges against the homeowner of the Tompkins Hill Road property for firearms violations.

Anyone with information for the Sheriff’s Office regarding this case or related criminal activity is encouraged to call the Sheriff’s Office at 707-445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at 707-268-2539.