CALIFORNIA -- Trinity County authorities said today that they killed a dog when it attacked them during a raid on a marijuana grow site in a national forest.
Erick Allan Brown, 27, of Redding, and Samuel O’Dennell Barton, 25, of Arcata, were arrested after Trinity County sheriff’s deputies allegedly found the pair in a tent at Six Rivers National Forest with a pistol and around 180 plants.
Deputies said that they found the garden on June 18 after reports that water was being siphoned from a source that feeds the town of Salyer.
When deputies approached the site, a pitbull mix ran up and began biting a K-9 police dog, deputies said. The dog then attacked the deputies, who shot it to death with a rifle.
Deputies found Brown and Barton in a nearby tent. They took the pair into custody and learned Brown was on post release community supervision.
Both Brown and Barton face charges of possession of marijuana for sale, growing marijuana and destruction of forest lands, deputies said. They said Brown also faces charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
They said they destroyed around 182 marijuana plants.
Barton is being held on a $265,000 bail, while Brown is being held on a $350,000 bail, deputies said.
(Redding.com - June 26, 2013)
