Police find marijuana plants at burning Calverton home
A Calverton man was arrested Thursday after Riverhead police investigated a fire at his home and found numerous marijuana plants, authorities said.
Thomas W. Smith, 47, was charged with possession of marijuana after the Wading River Fire Department extinguished a fire at 65 Laurin Road, which started around 9 p.m. in the attic and intensified as it moved through the house and reached fireworks located on the premises, Riverhead Police said.
The home was unoccupied at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported, police and Wading River fire officials said.
Mr. Smith told investigators the marijuana plants he was growing were “for personal use,” police said.
Information on the amount of drugs and fireworks was not immediately available and the cause of the fire is under investigation, officials said.
Mr. Smith was released on $400 bail, police said.
