Deputy invited into Fla. pot grow house

• Tweet

KEY LARGO, Fla., May 23 (UPI) -- Authorities in Florida said a deputy responding to a report of a possible suicide was invited into a home containing 124 marijuana plants.

The Monroe County Sheriff's Office said Sgt. Jason Madnick was responding to the Key Largo home of Joseph Ebeling, 49, at 9:30 p.m. Friday on a report of a possibly suicidal person and when he knocked on the door he heard a voice call, "Come in," Keysnet.com reported Wednesday.

Madnick said he opened the door to find Ebeling cutting up one of 124 marijuana plants inside the home. He said Ebeling was surprised to see Madnick was a law enforcement officer.

Ebeling was arrested and charged with cultivation of marijuana, possession of a felony amount of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was taken to the Monroe County Detention Center in lieu of $11,000 bond.

Ebeling was convicted of possession of a controlled substance in 2004 and his previous arrests also include charges of aggravated battery, fraud for writing checks with insufficient funds, driving with a suspended license and petty theft.