Pubdate: Wed, 21 Jan 2009
Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Copyright: 2009 The Vancouver Sun
Contact: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/letters.html
Website: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477
Author: Tom Zytaruk, Surrey Now
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)

DAD BUSTED FOR GROW-OP AFTER BABY SON CALLS 911

Police Answered Hang-Up Call

A baby boy playing with his dad's telephone accidentally called 911, 
which led police to their house -- and a 500-plant marijuana-growing operation.

Police said Tuesday the incident happened at about 11 a.m. Friday in 
the 14800 block of Goggs Avenue in White Rock. When White Rock RCMP 
officers arrived at the rental house, they found the 11-month-old 
child fiddling with the phone while his 29-year-old dad sat watching 
television.

"He was surprised to see us," Const. Janelle Canning said. The 911 
call was a hang-up call and police had heard no voices. The dad, 
whose name has not been released, protested that he hadn't called 911 
and his son didn't know how to use the phone.

Nevertheless, police checked the place out because of the amount of 
condensation on the house's windows and found the pot-growing 
operation in a locked room.

The dad was then arrested and was expected to appear in court in 
early April on charges of mischief and production of a controlled 
substance. The child, who Canning described as being a "very cute 
little boy," was picked up by Ministry of Children and Family 
Development workers and released into his mom's custody.

She is separated from his father and didn't live at the house. "The 
mother claimed she had no idea what was going on," Canning said.

"The ministry will continue their investigation to ensure ongoing 
protection of this child," she added.

Police are especially concerned when children are living in houses 
used to grow pot. In this case, Canning noted, the child had no 
access to the locked room. But condensation, which encourages mould 
growth and the presence of spores in the air, is a health concern. So 
is the risk of fire from illegal hydro bypasses, though police didn't 
find a bypass in this particular case. There's also the risk of being 
targeted for a "grow rip," or robbery.

"There's a whole multitude of problems with having a grow-operation," 
Canning said. "That's why the ministry was called immediately."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom