Mendocino County deputies seize 233 pot plants from Yokayo Rancheria home

Mendocino County Sheriff’s deputies recently eradicated 233 marijuana plants and confiscated 100 pounds of dried cannabis at a rural residence on the Yokayo Rancheria near Talmage.

The deputies last week served a search warrant at a home on the 1400 block of Yokayo Ranch Road after receiving complaints from both tribal and community members about marijuana cultivation there. The property belongs to the Yokayo tribe, but it remains subject to state and county regulations because it is not federally recognized land.

No arrests were made, but a sheriff’s office prepared statement named three suspects: Carmen Christy, 74, who lives on the property, Rudolfo Prudente, 63, of Santa Rosa and Jorge Luis Arredondo Navarro, 32, of Fresno.

The matter has been submitted to the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office to review for possible criminal charges, the sheriff’s statement said.

Suspected crimes include marijuana cultivation and placing debris and refuse near a stream bed. An environmental scientist from state Fish and Wildlife Department determined trash from past grows there could cause great environmental damage to the Russian River watershed.