Crime & Safety
Owner of Huge Pot-Growing House Busted, 150 Plants Confiscated: Cops
Ehren Meintel also had more than 5,000 grams of pot and a dozen guns, according to New Lenox police, who conducted the investigation.
Police seized 150 cannabis plants, more than 11 pounds of pot and a dozen firearms during a raid on a Joliet house described as an "elaborate marijuana manufacturing operation."
Ehren Meintel, 27, of 1408 Roosevelt, Joliet, was arrested Wednesday on a charge of unlawful production of marijuana in connection with the pot-growing house he owns at 510 Park Drive.
Will County sheriff's deputies carried out a raid on the house Tuesday, acting on a warrant issued by the New Lenox Police Department. Meintel's connection to the New Lenox investigation has not been released.
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In the house, officers discovered a sophisticated growing operation that included industrial lighting, fans, growing trays and fertlizer, New Lenox police said.
Each of the plants being grown can produce up to a pound of marijuana, with a street value of anywhere from $1,000 to $3,500 depending on the strength, according to experts. The 5,000 grams of pot found at the scene equals 11 pounds.
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The 1,288-square-foot house, located in the Reedwood neighborhood, was purchased by Meintel in May 2010. It sits at the end of long block of small but well-kept houses, and is within viewing distance of Interstate 80.
In addition to unlawful production, Meintel was charged with possession of more than 5,000 grams of marijuana, possession of a controlled substance, unlawful use of a weapon and no valid Firearm Owner's Identification Card.
Meintel's criminal record goes back to at least 2002, according to Will County circuit clerk records. Among his previous arrests are charges for driving under the influence of alcohol in 2005 and 2008, driving on a suspended license in 2006, possession of cannabis in 2003 and battery in 2002.
He was also convicted in February 2012 for driving under the influence in Hancock County, Maine, according to the Fenceviewer, an online publication. He was fined $500 and had his license suspended for 90 days.
Meintel is being held in the Will County jail. His bond will be set at a hearing Thursday afternoon.
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