NC men accused of pistol-whipping California homeowners in fruitless search for pot

Two North Carolina men are among seven masked suspects accused of tying up and pistol-whipping homeowners in a California neighborhood in search of pot, authorities said.

The home invasions early Monday in the city of Petaluma were in vain, as “none of the residences had anything to do with the cultivation or sales of marijuana,” the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

The assailants might have been targeting an old marijuana farm outside Petaluma but went to the wrong house and then to others in the middle of the night, the Marin (Calif.) Independent Journal reported. Neighbors had complained about the farm, and it was abandoned several months ago, according to the newspaper.

The suspects likely would have mailed the marijuana back to the East Coast, Sonoma County sheriff’s Sgt. Spencer Crum told the Independent Journal.

The men are accused of kicking in the doors of three homes just beyond the farm. “Thankfully, none of the victims are seriously injured,” the sheriff’s office said.

One of the suspects, 28-year-old Ledarrell Javon Crockett of Winston-Salem, was arrested after police said he jumped from a minivan being pursued by officers and knocked on a homeowner’s door to request an Uber be called, according to the sheriff’s office.

Officers later arrested three other suspects at a Costco, 28-year-old Jaray Day-Shawn Simmons of Winston-Salem and two men from Richmond, Va. Three other men from Richmond were arrested at San Francisco International Airport as they tried to board a flight back to the East Coast, the sheriff’s office said.

All seven were booked into the Sonoma County Jail on charges of robbery of an inhabited dwelling, burglary, false imprisonment, kidnapping and conspiracy. All are being held on $1 million bail except for Beal, who had a no-bail warrant out of North Carolina.

The foiled caper drew at least 330 “wow” emojis and about 100 comments on the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page. Many complimented the work of the officers, while others expressed bewilderment over the attempted heist.

“Marijuana really your just breaking into people’s homes just for that” asked one woman. “Go and buy a plant and start growing it yourself.”

“From the east coast where cannabis is much much more valuable,” another woman posted, referring to the suspects. “Legalize it nation wide and watch this nonsense disappear.”

This story was originally published March 14, 2018 at 8:11 PM with the headline "NC men accused of pistol-whipping California homeowners in fruitless search for pot."