Eye in the Sky Spots Marijuana Crop

An Agoura Hills man was in jail Friday after two Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies in a helicopter spotted him working amid about 200 marijuana plants in the Santa Monica Mountains near Malibu, authorities said.

Robert Carlat, 30, was being held in lieu of $2,500 bail at the Malibu sheriff’s station after his arrest on suspicion of cultivation and possession of marijuana for sale, sheriff’s deputies said.

Deputies Bob Crissman and Steve Smith were in a sheriff’s helicopter flying a routine patrol at 3:30 p.m. Thursday when they spotted a pocket of marijuana plants on a rugged hillside off Stunt Road, about a mile south of Mulholland Highway, officials said.

“They circled around in the helicopter, and they saw Carlat on a ladder pruning one of the taller plants,� narcotics Detective John Gentzvein said.

Crissman, the pilot, landed the helicopter on Stunt Road, and Smith got out and chased Carlat, who ran when he saw the helicopter, deputies said. The suspect was captured after a short chase.

After the arrest, other deputies called to the scene uprooted about 200 marijuana plants ranging up to 12 feet tall that were growing on a 2-acre site. Deputies said that the crop’s worth was estimated at more than $100,000 if sold on the street.

Paths Connected Pockets

Gentzvein said investigators had not yet determined if the property where the marijuana was found is privately owned or state-owned parkland.

The detective said that there was no structure in the area but deputies found a small campsite that appeared to have been used by Carlat. He said the marijuana was grown in pockets of brush, and the pockets were connected by a network of paths that were disguised by foliage pulled across them.

“From the ground you wouldn’t have been able to find this,� Gentzvein said. “We were fortunate it was spotted from the helicopter.�

Gentzvein said the plants must be kept as evidence at the Malibu station until court proceedings in the case begin.

“We might need to find an outdoor evidence lockup,� he said. “The odor from these plants is very pungent.�