Police confiscate marijuana in Clinton apartment

"Photo: Detective Bob Clark reaches inside the freezer where he found a jar of suspected marijuana.Jim Larsen / staff photosA Clinton man was arrested Thursday by Island County Sheriff's deputies who found suspected marijuana growing in his apartment.Ernest Leonard Johnson, 31, was arrested for violating the uniform controlled substance act. We got 34 suspected marijuana plants, said Detective Bob Clark, who led the investigation and ensuing search.Clark said a cooperating citizen gave police the tip they needed to knock on the door of the apartment, located behind a pizza restaurant near the ferry dock. Clark arrested the man when he noticed the smell of marijuana coming from inside the apartment.Deputies waited outside while a search warrant was obtained from a judge. Upon entering, Clark quickly found the marijuana growing in one corner of the cluttered apartment, set back in a nook in the wall. A grow light illuminated the scene. Moments later, Clark pulled a large jar containing suspected marijuana out of the freezer compartment of the refrigerator. I always check the freezer, he said.Johnson was in the process of appealing another marijuana-related conviction in Grant County, according to Clark. Friday afternoon in Island County Superior Court cash bail was set at $5,000 for Johnson. He is presently in the Island County Jail. "

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