FRIGHTFUL RISK FOR MEDICAL POT USERS

Home-Invasion Robbers Don't Care Who's Growing Or Using The Marijuana.

A bold, daytime home-invasion robbery targeting a marijuana garden in El
Dorado County has alarmed law-enforcement officials and highlighted risks
for growers of medicinal pot.

Four gunmen dressed as FBI and ATF agents forced their way into a family's
rural Lotus home last week and took 20 plants -- which the homeowner told
authorities were for medicinal purposes -- and about $300 in cash.

"This is the first one of this magnitude that I'm aware of," said Lt. Kevin
House, public information officer for the El Dorado County Sheriff's
Department.

In Sacramento County, two thefts related to marijuana cultivation have been
reported recently. Last week, three juveniles stole three marijuana plants
from the yard of a Sacramento man, who told police he was certified to use
pot for medicinal purposes.

Last month in North Highlands, five robbers barged into a mobile home and
pistol-whipped a man before stealing about 20 plants that were being grown
illegally, sheriff's investigators said.

Home-invasion robberies occur every year, especially in September and
October, when marijuana is mature and ready for harvest, said Dan Minter, a
Sacramento County sheriff's robbery detective.

"If you grow pot, you are running a risk of getting robbed. It's that
simple," he said.

A U.S. Justice Department report points out the emergence of violence
against marijuana growers. The August report by the department's National
Drug Intelligence Center also noted that home-invasion robberies in
California and Alaska have targeted medical pot growers.

Home-invasion robberies are not tracked in local crime statistics, but
Sacramento County detectives estimate as many as 50 occur each year. They
estimate that about 90 percent of them are drug-related and that growers
without a medical permit are less likely to report the theft, Minter said.

For members of the American Alliance for Medical Cannabis who grow pot,
robberies are a big concern. Medical marijuana users -- generally people
suffering from symptoms of AIDS, cancer or chronic pain -- are hardly in
any condition to fight off robbers, said National Director Jay Cavanaugh of
West Hills in Southern California.

"It is unfortunate that this medicine costs about $20 to grow and can get
$400 to $500 (an ounce) on the street," he said. "We tell our members to be
very discreet. If not, it is like putting out a welcome mat for someone to
kick in the front door."

The Oct. 7 afternoon break-in at William Nugent's El Dorado County home has
stolen his peace of mind and left his family shaken.

Toting loaded rifles and handguns and dressed in law-enforcement garb --
which included gun belts, an FBI vest and caps, and a federal Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms bulletproof vest and cap -- the men held the
family at gunpoint while they robbed their home on Sampson Ranch Road.

"This one guy had a shotgun pointed at me, and I started questioning him,
asking 'Where's your search warrant?' and 'Why didn't you announce yourself
as officers?' " Nugent said. "That just seemed weird to me. That's when I
looked away at my daughter, and the guy clocked me on the head with a gun."

The robbers' violent behavior, coupled with their attempt to impersonate
law-enforcement officers, took home invasion to a new level, El Dorado
County deputies said.

"We're concerned not only with where this gear came from but also the way
that all of this stuff was used and abused," House said. "It certainly
created the image of premeditation and conspiracy."

Three suspects have been arrested on suspicion of home-invasion robbery,
armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and impersonating a peace
officer, House said. The clothing, ammunition and firearms, as well as the
marijuana plants, were found in a U-Haul truck, one of the getaway vehicles.

Deputies are analyzing fingerprints found on one of the two getaway
vehicles, which may yield the identity of the fourth suspect.

Brock Daniel Hickey, 22, and James John Hardy, 26, both of Rancho Cordova,
and Robert Lowell Wise, 21, of Citrus Heights were scheduled for
arraignment last week but chose to wait for legal representation before
entering their pleas. All were being held in the El Dorado County jail. A
preliminary hearing is scheduled Monday.

Although authorities are still investigating how the men obtained the
clothing, the ATF bulletproof vest is believed to be federal property
stolen from an agent's car years ago, ATF spokeswoman Marci McKee said. The
FBI is considering federal charges in the case.

Nugent said he didn't advertise the fact that he used marijuana for
medicinal purposes, but his caution hasn't helped him or his family feel
any safer as they try to get on with life.

"My insides are still shaking from it," Nugent said. "We're doing better,
but I think we all need some counseling."

The El Dorado County robbery occurred four years and a day after a Fair
Oaks hom-invasion robbery turned deadly.

On Oct. 6, 1998, 18-year-old Riley Haeling was shot five times as he used
his body to protect a 15-year-old girl from intruders who burst into her
family's Fair Oaks home in search of medical marijuana. Jennifer Salmon,
15, was shot twice and survived. This month, two men were convicted of
Haeling's murder.

Sacramento sheriff's spokesman Sgt. James Lewis said there is no evidence
indicating that the number of robberies is rising, but he said medical
growers should be aware that they are taking the same risks as those who
grow marijuana without a permit.

"It makes no difference to the robbers if the marijuana is being grown for
medical use or not," Lewis said. "It's all smokes or sells the same to them."