Link between Sex Offender and Marijuana Garden

CBS47 has learned that a registered sex offender lists the same address as his home as the property where more than a thousand marijuana plants were seized by Madera sheriff's deputies.

Sheriff John Anderson hauls away some of the marijuana plants that were cut down and seized from seven acres of land just outside Madera city limits.

“We did a flyover and had good photographs of this,” Sheriff Anderson said.

MaderaCounty requires medical marijuana be grown indoors or the gardens completely covered.

The people growing the marijuana tried to hide it behind scrap metal fences.

After the raid - the only thing behind the fences is dirt.

Deputies arrested 29 year old Eric Gonzalez of Sonora, Mexico.

Investigators say he did not have a medical marijuana card and was here without documentation.

The dozen men on the property who did have medical marijuana cards were from southern California or outside MaderaCounty.

“We certainly have more gardens and more grows that we used to have,” Anderson said.

The man who is supposed to live here wasn't home when the raid took place.

55 year old Irvin Robertson is a registered sex offender. And listed the home on road 28 1/2 as his residence when he registered with Madera county back in April.

Investigators want to talk to him. 

“There's no way this could happen on your property without you knowing about it. They had huge fences built around,” Anderson said. 

Investigators say more arrests and citations are likely.