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They arrested Michael Deans at his Pine Hill Road home along with Jordan Winfree of Englewood, both 29, after a warranted search turned up marijuana package for resale, high-concentrate THC oil and a pot grow room, Police Chief James N. Batelli said Thursday.
Deans was wanted for having pot for sale in a school zone and fleeing police, among other offenses, when Detective Sgt. Kevin Hebert and Detectives Michael Grassi, and Eric Larsen went to his home to serve an arrest warrant out of New Milford, the chief said.
They were met by Winfree, who told them that Deans wasn’t home and that he didn’t know where he was or when he’d be back, Batelli said.
The detectives smelled raw marijuana and quickly suspected they’d found a grow house, he said.
Suddenly, Deans emerged from the house and was taken into custody, Batelli said.
The detectives also arrested Winfree for lying to them, he said.
They then secured the home, obtained a search warrant and went inside, assisted by uniformed officers, the chief said.
They found the grow room in back of the house, along with pot packaged for resale and the THC oil, Batelli said.
“There were no living marijuana plants, but literature on how to grow marijuana was located in the residence, as well as equipment needed to cultivate and grow vegetation indoors,” he said.
Batelli’s detectives turned Deans over to New Milford police, who sent him to the Bergen County Jail on their warrant.
A judge ordered him released, under New Jersey’s 2017 bail reform law, after which he turned himself in at Mahwah police headquarters to be charged with various drug counts.
Winifree was charged with hindering. Like Deans, he was released on a summons, the chief said.
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