[dagnabit]

https://blog.al.com/live/2011/06/mobi...r_elabora.html

THEODORE, Alabama — A man shot himself to death during a struggle with police this morning after investigators discovered an elaborate marijuana growing operation in a warehouse on U.S. 90.

Police did not identify the man who died. Another man at the scene, Jeffrey Coolidge, was arrested and charged with trafficking marijuana.

Officers in the area on an unrelated investigation saw a U-Haul truck parked at the loading dock of a brown warehouse with no sign about 8 a.m., police said, and they decided to check on the activity.

“All over the city, we find ourselves working cases where copper and...coils are being stolen from businesses that are vacant, so officers stopped to investigate these circumstances as to why this truck was parked there,” Police Chief Michael T. Williams said.

Police found Coolidge near the truck and noticed the truck’s cargo — marijuana plants, Williams said.

After arresting Coolidge, officers walked inside the warehouse and found a large-scale marijuana growing operation with more than 100 plants at 3 feet tall, Williams said.

Police learned that a second man was on his way to the warehouse, and officers waited for his arrival, said Mobile police spokesman Officer Christopher Levy.

The man, who was not identified by police Friday, saw the officers, ran back to his truck and got into a physical struggle on the ground with two officers, Levy said.

The man pulled out a gun and shot himself in the head during the struggle, Levy said. He died at the scene.

Police allowed news reporters to walk through the warehouse on Friday. Several rooms were built to cultivate marijuana plants at different growing stages from seedlings to tall plants. The 114 plants inside were stacked close together underneath lights, fans and a large irrigation system.

The lighting, fertilizing and watering systems were all controlled by a computer in an office. Security cameras outside the building sent surveillance video back to a screen in the room. There were also crates of manila files with labels referring to different kinds of equipment.

“That’s where the brains of this whole operation lies,” said Lt. Randy Jackson, head of the narcotics unit.

Jackson said police were still sorting through all of the evidence on Friday. He said using a rough estimate, the marijuana plants could have produced $250,000 in product sold on the street. Meanwhile, he said, the equipment could have cost between $150,000 to $200,000, according to a preliminary estimate.

The building was leased to the man who was killed since 2009, Jackson said, and the owner had was unaware of what was going on inside. The man told the owner that he worked in construction.

Jackson said narcotics investigators have been in the area recently for two unrelated operations.

“We’ve driven past this place a hundred times,” he said.

He said it’s unclear exactly where the marijuana produced there was eventually sold and whether the plants were being loaded or unloaded Friday morning.

“These officers did a good job, first of all, with noticing that something was suspicious,” Chief Williams said. “That’s good police work ... they did an investigation. They did it correctly. The end result is ...those plants will not hit the streets in the city of Mobile.”

Coolidge lives on Dauphin Island, according to jail records. Other than traffic tickets, he has not been previously charged with a crime in Alabama, according to court records.

did he commit suicide?
did he shoot himself in the struggle?
why would he use all those LED's?

[Bobby Stainless]

Originally Posted by dagnabit

https://blog.al.com/live/2011/06/mobi...r_elabora.html





why would he use all those LED's?

It was in southern Alabama. Electricity use, heat, etc are all considerably less with LED.

As for shooting himself? Probably bullshit.

[dagnabit]

Not my orig. Title for the thread...
Not sure why it was changed.

[AfroSheep]

I wonder if the cops helped him "commit suicide"...
How do we even no the cops didn't shoot him with his own gun and bullshit about it all?

Dirty scoundrels, well never no the true story

[diggdugg]

Shot himself with two cops fighting him on the ground huh. Sounds like a ham sandwich situation to me.

Originally Posted by mullray

Fancy being killed over and over again since 2009.

damn thats crazy but this line made me laugh inappropriately. maybe he did shoot himself,some folks are pretty scared of prison but with 2 cops wrestling with him? doubtful,more like he ran and they killed him

[nickman]

thats crazy...

[Claude Hopper]

I hope we don't see a rash of "grower suicide" now.

[megayields]

kinda like "he was shot while escaping" hmm even I find this explanation fishy.

[nomaad]

what was the original title, dag?