Clearlake felon arrested for allegedly stealing 40 pounds of pot, having ammo

Mendocino County authorities Thursday arrested a man they say stole 40 pounds of marijuana in late December from another county resident.

The county Sheriff’s Office identified the man as Clearlake resident Brian Cresci, 39, who is being held in Lake County jail on $15,000 bail. Authorities said they have yet to recover the pot and are continuing their investigation.

Sheriff’s Capt. Gregory Van Patten said Friday Cresci had held up a Redwood Valley resident at gunpoint last month and stole the pot from the 60-year-old unidentified man.

The pair had prior contact with each other and had planned to meet at the man’s home on Dec. 21 so Cresci could buy the marijuana, Van Patten said.

“Instead, it turned into a robbery,” he said. “Cresci had worked on the man’s home two years ago and it turns out the man was operating an illegal marijuana business along with several other growers.”

The man called law enforcement officers to report Cresci robbed him and admitted to officers that he was operating an illegal marijuana business, Van Patten said. No charges were filed against him.

“All the information on the case is being forwarded to the district attorney who has the ultimate decision on whether he will be charged,” Van Patten said.

Three law enforcement agencies were involved in Cresci’s arrest at this home Thursday because of his former crimes and past felony convictions, Van Patten said. Lake County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team and Clearlake Police Department teamed with at least three detectives from Mendocino to conduct a search warrant and later arrest Cresci, he said.

Cresci was viewed as potentially dangerous since he’s a convicted felon from a crime he committed in San Francisco, therefore detectives from Mendocino’s marijuana enforcement team did not take any risks in apprehending him, Van Patten said.

“Based upon Cresci’s past criminal history, our knowledge that he had access to guns and the original crime itself, which involved a firearm, you have to expect the worst and hope for the best when delivering a warrant to a person like that,” the captain said.

Detectives obtained the search warrant for Cresci’s residence in the ?3900 block of Villa Avenue in Clearlake and authorities moved in.

“The SWAT team surrounded the residence, got on a PA system and said ‘This is law enforcement, come on out now’” Van Patten said. “Cresci complied without officers having to bang down the door or do anything else extreme.”

Cresci calmly walked out of his home along with his three children, all of whom were younger than 9 years old, Van Patten said.

During the search of Cresci’s home, detectives discovered ammunition and firearm accessories, including several high capacity magazines, according to a prepared statement from the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office.

Because of his previous conviction, Cresci’s possession of the ammunition is illegal, Van Patten said.

He was arrested by detectives and charged with felony counts of possession of ammunition and of high-capacity magazines and taken to jail. Cresci’s girlfriend came to the Clearlake home they shared to be with their children, he said.

These types of violent crimes involving guns and marijuana have increased in recent months in the county, Van Patten said.

“We see this more often that we would like, and there has been a definite uptick we are trying to get ahead of,” he said. “These robbers typically have intimate knowledge of the drug operations they steal from and know how to maximize the profitability of their crimes.”

You can reach Staff Writer Alexandria Bordas at 707-521-5337 or alexandria.bordas@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @CrossingBordas.