Pubdate: Tue, 14 Aug 2012
Source: Chico Enterprise-Record (CA)
Copyright: 2012 Chico Enterprise-Record
Contact:  http://www.chicoer.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/861
Note: Letters from newspaper's circulation area receive publishing priority
Author: Katy Sweeny

CHICO DAYTIME HOME-INVASION ROBBERY MOTIVATED BY MARIJUANA

CHICO -- An armed man and his accomplice stormed into a Chico 
couple's home Monday, hit the male resident in the head, tied the 
pair up and stole a small amount of marijuana.

As of Monday evening, police were still searching for the suspects, 
Sgt. Curtis Prosise of Chico police said.

"When you start growing marijuana - and I'm not saying these people 
are growing - it's a dangerous pastime whether you're selling it or 
whatever," Lt. Mike O'Brien said.

About 11:30 a.m. Monday, two men burst into a home on the 1100 block 
of E. 10th Street threatening the couple and demanding marijuana, 
O'Brien said. The men bound the residents and ransacked the home, 
leaving with a firearm, cash, a laptop computer and marijuana.

After about 10 minutes, the residents were able to untie themselves 
and call 9-1-1.

Medics did not transport the man to the hospital for his minor 
injury, O'Brien said.

O'Brien would not release what the suspects used to bind the couple 
and if they brought it with them.

Prosise said he saw no signs that the residents were growing marijuana.

Police are investigating what involvement the residents had with the 
drug and whether the suspects struck their intended home, O'Brien 
said. They are not releasing the names of the victims.

The suspects are described as two thin black men, about 5-foot-8 to 6 
feet tall, in their early 20s, wearing black shirts, jeans and 
gloves, O'Brien said. One was armed with a handgun. One might have a 
goatee and one might have a bandana over his hair.

"If I lived in this neighborhood or this was occurring in my 
neighborhood, I would be scared," O'Brien said.

Flo Parker lives in the area and walked toward the home Monday 
afternoon, asking the resident if her three dogs were OK, to which 
the woman said yes.

"I ain't scared," Parker said. "I'm blessed."

Parker thinks people should not be allowed to grow marijuana at home 
because of the crime it brings with it, she said.

"Open your eyes," Parker said. "Don't be sitting outside smoking 
anything. They might rob you."

The incident has some similarities to a Roseleaf Court home-invasion 
robbery when two armed men broke into likely the wrong home demanding 
marijuana, O'Brien said. That robbery was exactly one month ago, July 
13. However, investigators are unsure if they are connected.

"We've had a few daytime robberies. We don't know how many different 
suspects we're dealing with," O'Brien said.

"The fact that they're so brazen, hitting these homes during the day, 
I think that's significant."

Prosise said marijuana is a common motive for robberies.

"Possession of marijuana for medicinal or illegal purposes can cause 
a person to become a target for these types of crimes," Prosise said. 
"People should consider their safety and the safety of their 
neighbors before possessing marijuana of any kind."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom