New Information: Grassfire leads police to illegal grow

The Pueblo County Sheriff’s Narcotics Deputies found nearly 170 marijuana plants and approximately $80,000 in lighting, heating and ventilation equipment in an illegal marijuana home grow operation discovered in Pueblo West this week.

Detectives confiscated the elaborate growing equipment from the home at 612 N. Limon Drive on Wednesday night (April 20, 2016) and issued an arrest warrant for the homeowner, Ryan Reuting, 28. Reuting moved to Pueblo West in April 2015, but also maintains a residence in Denver.

The bust marks the 10th illegal marijuana grow operation found by Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office in three weeks. All but one of the homes was located in Pueblo West. Thirteen people have been arrested in connection to the grows and all have been out-of-state residents.

In the most recent bust, Sheriff’s Detectives were tipped off of a possible illegal home grow operation at 612 N. Limon Drive following a grass fire near the residence on April 14, 2016. The fire consumed 2 acres of grass and damaged a fence.

While investigators were looking into the cause of the fire, it was later determined the transformer blew because it was pulling too much electricity from 612 N. Limon Drive. Investigators found extra equipment connected to the home’s electrical box. Deputies attempted to contact the homeowner, identified as Reuting, to inform him power would be shut off to the home due to the transformer fire. When deputies approached the home, the reported they smelled a strong odor of marijuana and found a partial medical marijuana license in a window. No contact was made with the Reuting.

Sheriff’s Detectives obtained a search warrant and returned to the home on Tuesday (April 19, 2016), to determine if there was a legal medical marijuana grow at the home. Detectives found 49 budding plants and another 117 freshly harvested plants in a three-car garage and in portions of the home. The garage was set up with a commercial heating and ventilation system along with extensive lighting and irrigation systems. Detectives learned Reuting’s monthly electric bill was over $1,500, and the home was consuming approximately five times the amount of electricity of an average single-family residence.

Reuting showed detectives partial paperwork for a medical marijuana license, which permitted him to have the 49 plants. Detectives did not take any plants while they researched Reuting’s medical marijuana license.

While investigating the license, detectives learned that Reuting had another residence in Denver where he may have had an illegal grow. Detectives contacted Denver Police, who went to Reuting’s home Wednesday and found 100 marijuana plants and 20 pounds of dried marijuana.

After learning what Denver Police found at Reunting’s Denver home, Pueblo County Sheriff’s Detectives executed a second search warrant at 612 N. Limon Drive, Wednesday night (April 20, 2016). Reuting was not at the home at the time of the search. The 49 marijuana plants also had been removed from the home prior to the second search. Detectives did seize lights, fans and irrigating equipment from the home.

Anyone with information on Reuting’s whereabouts is asked to call the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office at 583-6250 or Crimestoppers at 542-STOP (542-7867).