Humboldt County woman admits to grading, clearing federal conservation land to grow pot

Federal law enforcement officials Friday said a Humboldt County woman has admitted her marijuana growing operation caused more than $100,000 in damage to public land in the King Range Conservation Area, a remote ?protected area more commonly known as the Lost Coast.

Melinda Van Horne, 43, on Wednesday pleaded guilty in San Francisco federal court to a charge of depredation against the property of the United States, according to the Department of Justice.

In October 2007, Van Horne purchased a house next to Paradise Ridge, which is part of the congressionally designated conservation area overseen by the Bureau of Land Management, officials said. In 2008, she attempted to trade some of her land for federal land within the conservation area, but was turned down. She then began growing marijuana on the federal land, which entailed stripping, excavating and grading the property with heavy equipment and erecting 11 greenhouses, according to the justice department.

The work was done in order to grow marijuana plants for sale, Justice Department officials said. Van Horne also diverted water from the nearby Bridge Creek to water the plants, they said.

In September 2013, law enforcement officers executing a search warrant found 1,654 marijuana plants on federal land and in a garage at Van Horne’s home, which was in foreclosure, law enforcement officials said. They also found over 37 pounds of marijuana at a residence where she had moved after the foreclosure.

As part of her plea agreement, Van Horne has agreed to pay $107,754 to repair damage to the land, which included sediment released into two rivers that support imperiled steelhead trout and salmon runs.

Van Horne is currently free on a $130,000 bond. She’s scheduled to be sentenced June 29. The maximum sentence is 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, officials said.