James Rufus Reineke
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Last updated on Friday, May 3, 2013
(SOLSBERRY) - A tip to Crimestoppers led police to bust a marijuana grow operation housed in a residence in eastern Greene County.
Anna Rochelle of the Greene County Daily World reports that James Rufus Reineke, 58, and Nila Jane Reineke, 61, both of Solsberry, were arrested Sunday.
Both of the Reinekes appeared in Greene Circuit Court for initial hearings on Thursday. They were both charged with possession of marijuana, a Class D felony, maintaining a common nuisance, a Class D felony, possession of paraphernalia, a Class A misdemeanor.
When the tip came in, police determined that both Reinekes were wanted on Writs of Attachment in Monroe County civil matters for $500 each.
Greene County Sheriff's Department Deputies Bobby Pierce and Jeffrey Brown were dispatched to serve papers.
The officers said when one of the Reinekes opened the door to the trailer, located on East Radar Lane, they noticed an "overwhelming, suffocating, distinct odor of marijuana."
The officers obtained consent to search and reported during their initial sweep of the house they saw black-out tarps over some windows, multiple light fixtures with grow lights and large bright green plants they said were marijuana plants.
After the Reinekes were transported to the sheriff's department, the officers took photographs and conducted a more thorough search.
They reported finding plastic bags, burnt hand-rolled cigarettes, burnt marijuana, a scale, a hemostat, containers of seeds, glass pipes, Mason jars containing green plant material, multiple envelopes with different labels of seed names including "Jan 2012 mix from the sticks," "Jan 2012 Rufes' Reefer," "Jan 2012 Nilas' Noxious Nodules" and Jan 2012 'Long' (Bubblegum)" as well as "Hydro Farm Horticultural" lamp fixtures with bulbs, power converters and transformer ballasts, plastic material used to cover windows and walls and numerous other items of equipment associated with growing marijuana.
They also located numerous plants -- under just one fluorescent lamp, the officers reported finding 54 bright green plants. They reported finding other plants as well.
In addition, they allegedly found photographs of a younger Jim Reineke depicting him and a friend with other large marijuana grows and fields of marijuana, a newspaper article about Jim Reineke in a past encounter with the law for marijuana grows, and a daily journal with a note saying the landlord was being given marijuana in place of money for rent.
James Rufus Reineke
Nila Jane Reineke
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