Charges dropped against trio accused of growing pot in Pierce County storage unit

Charges were dropped against three people accused of growing marijuana in a Pierce County storage unit because an initial search of the building happened without a warrant.

John Engelking, 57, James Sloop, 35, and 34-year-old Hee Choi were charged with unlawfully manufacturing a controlled substance and conspiring to manufacture a controlled substance.

Engelking, the owner of the storage facility, was also charged with unlawful use of a building for drug purposes.

All counts were dismissed with prejudice Feb. 29.

According to charging papers, Engelking agreed to rent Choi and Sloop units in 2013 to grow pot because he was behind on his mortgage.

Pierce County sheriff’s deputies first went to the storage unit April 9, 2013, in the 6800 block of 112th Street South, after a 911 caller reported a woman being dragged into the building.

Police entered the building without a warrant to search for the reported victim, which is when they saw signs of a marijuana grow, Pierce County Superior Court Judge Ronald Culpepper wrote in a Jan. 29 letter to attorneys

“The only basis for the search was the anonymous 911 call,” Culpepper wrote. “This was insufficient to support a warrantless entry.”

The call appeared to be a prank, or to come from someone trying to create trouble for Engelking, the judge said.

Culpepper decided evidence obtained later from search warrants on the case could not be used at trial. Deputies wouldn’t have known about the grow if they hadn’t first gone in without a warrant, he said.

Without the evidence from the search warrants, the charges were dropped.

This story was originally published March 6, 2016 at 4:55 PM with the headline "Charges dropped against trio accused of growing pot in Pierce County storage unit."