The apprehension of multiple suspects Sunday by Kennewick police spotlights a recurring problem with pot plant thefts, usually involving legal medical marijuana patients.

Kennewick police arrested 19-year-old Gabriel Aguilar and a 15-year-old juvenile after they allegedly stole numerous marijuana plants from a backyard in the 800 block of Juniper St.

Shortly after 3am Sunday morning,  police responded to  a call about four suspects seen loading pot plants into two vehicles in an alley in the area.   When police arrived they found a woman with an infant in one of the cars.  The other car had pot plants covering the back seat from the floor to ceiling.   The woman eventually told police her husband had told her to follow him to that location, and she didn't question him.

She said the other suspects arrived in the 2nd. vehicle.   The suspects had climbed a fence and cut a hole in a cage to steal the plants.  The suspect fled on foot when police were called.  Aguilar and the 15-year old were detained and are facing burglary charges.

Crime Prevention Specialist Mike Blatman of the Kennewick Police Department told Newstalk 870 the 59-year-old victim had a medical marijuana card, and this is the second such incident he's reported in the last five days.

It's an ongoing issue in Tri-Cities, where medical marijuana patients have had plants stolen from their yards,  property damaged, and even had their homes broken into by burglars searching for harvested and processed marijuana.   Over the last several years, there have  been several home invasions where burglars held up and even restrained medical pot users in search of the drugs.

Medical marijuana users are allowed to grow a limited number of plants, and can do so in their back yards.  However, Blatman says doing so often invites unwanted "visitors" who are after the pot.   He said it's best of they move it indoors, and don't make a point of letting anyone else know if you're growing, harvesting and using medical marijuana.

This victim, as well as others,  have taken security measures, but are not allowed to take extreme measures - such as putting razor wire around their growing area - because it's a code violation, says Blatman.   Many people grow the pot outdoors, because indoor growing operations cost a lot more money.

Some officials say since the legalization of pot in Washington, there's been an uptick in burglaries and incidents involving medical pot users.  Because it's legal for adults to possess and smoke pot now, once thieves steal plants or processed pot, they are virtually "free and clear."   Once they have the drug, there's no way of knowing if they bought it in a state pot store, or stole it.

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