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May 20, 2021
Hello,
It is looking like a more normal summer, and our officers are glad to see people spending time at our parks, including our basketball courts! It’s great to see more “normal” out there, and we were even tempted to challenge a few kids playing a pick-up basketball game…then we saw them rain a couple of jumpers and thought better of it!
In local crime news, you may have heard about or seen our social media post related to an incident in the La Vigne neighborhood during the early morning hours on Monday. The home involved in the incident turned out to be a large, fully converted, illegal commercial cannabis growing operation with dangerous and unpermitted electrical construction, ventilation and irrigation systems. Illegal cannabis cultivation is only a misdemeanor, but maintaining a drug house is still considered a felony. Because these homes pose a severe fire hazard and a threat to the neighborhood, we take these cases seriously. The other very real threat with these operations is the threat of home-invasion robberies. In this incident, several unidentified suspects attempted to pull off a home invasion robbery into the home, but due to the heavy steel-bars fortifications, they were unsuccessful in getting inside and fled before our arrival. Once we arrived at the heavily damaged home (the garage door was caved in!), we checked for any injuries and discovered it was a cannabis grow house. Detectives responded, processed the scene, and arrested the lone occupant. In American Canyon, we are fortunate to have a local ordinance that prohibits residential growing operations that exceed the statewide allowance of six plants. This matter will be referred for criminal charges to the Napa District Attorney’s Office. Then on Wednesday (2 days later), detectives following up on an unrelated investigation came across another similar grow house on Lark Court! The detectives secured a search warrant and promptly dismantled the operation. This investigation is ongoing.
I would be remissed not to address the recent Board of Supervisors decision in accepting the resignation (retirement) of Sheriff John R. Robertson and direction to the County Executive Officer to come back with a resolution to appoint me to finish his term. Before going too far into succession plans and transitions at both the Sheriff’s Office and here at the PD, I think it’s appropriate to congratulate Sheriff Robertson on 40 years of law enforcement service, 30 of it at the Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Robertson has been a great public safety leader for the entire Napa County community and a mentor for many of us at the department.
Napa County continues to work hard on the Pandemic response, vaccination outreach, and emergency preparedness as fire season approaches. You may see county officials and volunteers handing out information pamphlets in front of grocery stores or other frequently trafficked areas. Stop and see what’s available, give us a smile, and learn what you can about staying safe.
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