By Victor A. Patton
The Merced Sun-Star
MERCED, Calif. — The yellow and red rosebushes in front of a brown, one-story house in North Merced weren’t the only plant life found there Thursday by Merced and Turlock Police.
Officers with a multi-agency task force discovered a total of 431 marijuana plants — worth an estimated $1.3 million on the street — growing in the backyard of the home at 2971 Birmingham Court, a quiet cul-de-sac in North Merced.
They also seized a small amount of methamphetamine, a 6pound bag of marijuana and a gun that police believe may have been used in an attempted murder, according to Merced Police Detective Hector Ortiz.
The marijuana plants were found growing in the backyard amidst a garden thick with peppers, tomatoes and 7-foot-high cornstalks after police served a search warrant on the residence of attempted murder suspect Pedro Rebuelta-Salas, 38.
Rebuelta-Salas is still at large and is wanted by Turlock Police for a shooting that occurred Sunday in Turlock, according to Det. James Silveira of the Turlock Police Department.
Members of the Merced Police Department and Turlock Police Department were hoping to arrest Rebuelta-Salas when they served the search warrant at his residence at 7:15 a.m. Thursday. Fourteen officers of the Merced Police Department, some from the SWAT team, deployed at the scene as Ortiz announced their presence in Spanish through a bullhorn. “We had (the house) surrounded but he wasn’t home,” Ortiz said.
The suspect’s wife, Rosa Maria Barragan, 27, offered no resistance and allowed officers into the house. She was present during the search, then was arrested on charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana with an intent to sell, cultivation of marijuana and child endangerment, Ortiz said.
Their children, a 5-year-old boy and a 6year-old girl, waited in the living room while officers scoured the house and yard. They are now under the care of Merced County Child Protective Services.
Ortiz said the 431 marijuana plants were 2to 6-feet high, with a street value of about $3,000 each -- resulting in the estimated value of about $1.3 million. He said the 6-pound bag of marijuana was worth about $6,000.
Four members of the Turlock Police Department and 14 members of the Merced Police Department were involved in Thursday’s operation, including members of the Merced Police Department’s SWAT Team and the Merced Multi-Agency Narcotics Task Force.
Turlock Police learned where Rebuelta-Salas was living after he allegedly shot at a man near the intersection of Amberwood Way and Birchwood Lane in Turlock on Sunday, Silveira said.
Silveira said the victim was sitting outside in the front yard of his residence when Rebuelta-Salas, who was driving “recklessly,” accused the man of filming him with a cell phone.
Even though the victim denied Rebuelta-Salas’ accusations, Rebuelta-Salas then allegedly shot at the victim as the man tried to escape into his house. The victim was not shot and was uninjured, Silveira said.
Silveira said Rebuelta-Salas then left the scene and became involved in a argument with another driver. During the argument Rebuelta-Salas allegedly brandished the gun and shot at the other driver, who was driving away, three times -- hitting the car twice in the process. That person was also uninjured in the shooting.
Ortiz said police found in the Merced house a .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun which they believe Rebuelta-Salas allegedly used in the Sunday incident, as well as the Volkswagen Touareg SUV he was driving.
A .44 Magnum revolver was also found inside the home, Ortiz said, as well as weighing scales and drug paraphernalia.
Reactions from residents in the peaceful neighborhood were mixed.
One woman, who said she wished to remain anonymous, said she was acquainted with Barragan -- and could not believe that she had been arrested. “She’s a good lady,” the woman said. "(The neighborhood) is a nice place.”
Another resident, however, said she became suspicious after seeing a steady flow of people showing up at the house at odd hours of the day. “It was pretty obvious,” she said. “There were always people who would come for a quick few minutes and then take off.”
Merced Police said they have disposed of about 3,000 marijuana plants since January, according to Agent Paul Johnson of the Merced Police Department.
Barragan is being held at the John Latorraca Correctional Facility in lieu of $70,000 bail.
Rebuelta-Salas is described as a Hispanic male, 5 feet, 7 inches tall, with black hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to call the Turlock Police Department at 668-5550 ext. 6756.