Pubdate: Thu, 16 Mar 2006
Source: Register Citizen (CT)
Copyright: 2006 Register Citizen
Contact:  http://www.registercitizen.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/598
Author: Karsten Strauss, Register Citizen Staff
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)

IN BAD TASTE? PERHAPS ILLEGAL? NO, SAY OFFICIALS

WINSTED -- Hemp leaves painted on a High Street home do  not violate 
any laws, officials said.

The resident of the 24 High St. home is Christopher  Seek-ins, 26, 
who was arrested Oct. 20, 2005, by  Winchester police and charged 
with the cultivation and  possession of marijuana, possession with 
intent to sell  and possession of drug paraphernalia. About 
185  marijuana plants were found in his home, police said.

"If he's the owner of the house, that's true," Deputy  Chief Robert 
Scannell said when asked if Seekins could  paint his house however he 
wishes. "There may be some  building codes or zoning regulations 
regarding signage  that I'm not aware of that may be violated."

The painted leaves do not violate any town ordinances  that Town 
Planner Ray Carpentino could think of, he  said.

"Nothing that I know of under my control," Carpen-tino  said. "Just 
like signage regulations, we can't regulate  content -- it's illegal 
for us to regulate content. We  can regulate the size, the location, 
the material but  somebody painting their house is beyond our 
planning and zoning."

Zoning regulations have multiple definitions of a sign  but it is 
basically defined as "something that  advertises either a business or 
merchandise sold on a  property or a service provided," Carpentino said.

"There's nothing in the property maintenance code that  it violates," 
Fire Marshal Joseph Beadle said.

Winchester police arrived at Seekins' home last October  as part of 
an in-home evaluation by the Northwest  Mental Health Mobile Crisis 
Unit, police reported  following Seekins' arrest. Marijuana odors 
were detected coming from inside the house and an  investigation was 
conducted, they said.

In a motion to dismiss charges against him in Bantam  Superior Court 
on Jan. 12, 2006, Seekins claimed the  search warrant was faulty and 
the arrest was therefore  illegal, preventing police from taking 
evidence from  his home. He also said they couldn't have smelled the 
odor over the smells emanating from a nearby  restaurant.

Seekins could not be reached by phone for comment  Wednesday.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman