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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 5:14 p.m., Wednesday, April 2, 2008

911 call to report shooting prompts pot bust

Advertiser Staff

HILO, Hawaii – Police who were called to the scene of a supposed shooting on the Big Island yesterday discovered a marijuana farming operation instead of a gunshot victim.

Police responded to a 911 call Friday that a man in Fern Acres had shot his wife, and while officers were checking the property, they found an indoor grow room and marijuana being cultivated outside the house.

Police arrested 49-year-old Christopher Holt, and served a search warrant on the house the following day. During the search officers seized 95 marijuana plants including some that were six feet tall from the rear of the house and the grow room, and also seized nearly five pounds of dried marijuana.

Also seized was nearly an ounce of hashish oil, and more than 15 pounds of butter mixed with marijuana.

Holt was charged Monday with two counts of commercial promotion of marijuana, two counts of promoting a detrimental drug, one count of promoting a harmful drug and five counts of possession of drug paraphernalia. His bail was set at $13,000.

Police eventually located Holt's 45-year-old wife, who was unharmed and visiting Kauai with the owner of the Fern Acres home.

The wife and the 46-year old owner of the home turned themselves into police on Monday. Both were arrested and then released pending further investigation, police said.

Police said there were seven state medicinal marijuana permits that list the Fern Acres address, including permits for Holt and the two other people who live there. However, police said the marijuana found on the property far exceeded the maximum seven marijuana plants and three ounces of dried marijuana allowed under a state permit.