UPDATE-3• FRAZIER  PARK, CA (Friday, July 16, 2015 at 9 a.m.)—
By Patric Hedlund,
A team of narcotics officers conducted an operation in the foothills of Frazier Mountain Thursday, July 16. A remote home southwest of Frazier Mountain Park was discovered to be the center of a comprehensive marijuana growing and processing operation.
Two 30-pound bags of trimmed buds, numerous seedlings, an approximately 30-pound bag of processed marijuana and a count of 3,394 plants were removed and trucked out by an eradication team.

A semiautomatic extended load [shotgun] and a loaded pistol with a round in the chamber were confiscated from the home. Deputies said they found preparations underway for setting up a “honey lab,” including the presence of butane canisters. Explosions at such labs have caused dangerous fires in the Western Antelope Valley and many other parts of the state recently.

Authorities were tipped off when deputies were alerted that a Spanish speaking stranger had entered a local home. The man asked urgently for a ride to Fresno. He said he was being chased by men with guns. When searched by a deputy, Fernando Garcia-Lopez was found to be in possession of a Colt .380 pistol and a baggie of methamphetamine, according to Frazier Park substation Sergeant Dustin Downey, in response to questions from The Mountain Enterprise—which had been alerted to the intrusion by the residents as they were talking with law enforcement.

A surveillance flight over the foothills location that Garcia-Lopez referred to as ‘el rancho’ revealed irrigation lines and “nearly fluorescent” grows of marijuana around the home, narcotics officers said Thursday as they were leaving the site. Downey said a search warrant was served on the home.

When contacted during the raid, the Los Angeles-based owner of the home on La Maida Circle told The Mountain Enterprise that a lease for the house had been signed by the tenant early this spring for $2,000 a month, but the tenant had fallen behind in the rent for July. The Mountain Enterprise arranged a conference call between Sgt. Downey and the homeowner.

At the end of the raid, The Mountain Enterprise asked deputies about the current location of the men who were occupying the house and growing the crop. “We heard them in the hills, whistling to each other when we got out there. They are probably up there watching us right now,” a deputy said.

Downey said the men would probably stay in the woods until nightfall, then come down from the hills to try to get a friend to pick them up. A Ready Kern Alert robocall from the Kern County Sheriff’s Office was sent out to hundreds of homes in Frazier Park and Lebec on Thursday, July 16. It warned residents to be alert for suspicious men in their  neighborhoods, most likely Hispanic. The vagueness of the call troubled many residents, who enjoyed some humorous facebook jests about Super Mario Brothers on the loose. Many residents called The Mountain Enterprise and the Frazier Park substation seeking more information. Some expressed concern for the safety of innocent men who might be viewed with suspicion.  See the notes below for more information. And see next week’s issue of The Mountain Enterprise for more details.

In an interview on Tuesday, July 14, after charges had been lodged against Garcia-Lopez who entered the Roosevelt Trail home, Downey said residents should use caution in securing their homes and vehicles. On Friday, Downey said no additional individuals had been apprehended. He also said he does not believe there is danger to members of the community.

–Gary Meyer and Jill Neptune  contributed reporting to the above report

UPDATE-2• FRAZIER  PARK, CA (Thursday, July 16, 2015 at 3:36 p.m.)—Continuing our public safety updates, law enforcement has finished their activity at the house and the hillside above Frazier Mountain Park. Sgt. Dustin Downey said law enforcement will be watching for individuals who may have been at the house, but also rely on the public to be alert. Please dial the sheriff’s non-emergency number (661.861.3110) if you believe you have spotted a stranger or strangers not normally in the neighborhood.

Occupants of a charcoal gray colored four door Mazda 3 SP23 sedan with October tags (California license plate 7LEN487) may also be requested to contact KCSO to assist with the investigation.

UPDATE • FRAZIER  PARK, CA (Thursday, July 16, 2015 at 12:30 p.m. and updated at 1:30 p.m.)—A ‘robocall’ has gone out to members of the Frazier Park and Lebec communities at about noon today, asking residents to be cautious and observant about suspicious strangers coming to homes in the area. It is also wise to avoid walking in the Frazier Mountain foothills area for the time being or giving rides to strangers.

See today’s issue of The Mountain Enterprise for a story about a related arrest this week at a local home.  That is on newsstands now.

Law enforcement asks that residents, “Watch for suspicious looking men loitering, probably Hispanic,” and warn that they could be armed. Reports of a helicopter in the area are related. Possibly five or six individuals may have scattered from a house that was under surveillance at the very top of a remote hill southwest of Frazier Mountain Park.

Dee Sumner of Lebec got the robocall and phoned The Mountain Enterprise to say she is concerned. “We have so many people up here who are armed [with concealed carry permits] that I’m worried something will happen. My gardener is a wonderful man. Oh my God, I hope people will be careful and not put an innocent person in danger.”

Bottom line, for now it is wise for residents to avoid picking up strangers seeking a ride, or letting people into their homes who they do not know. Locking entries to your home and locking vehicles is wise.

This is part of the July 17, 2015 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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