Possibly a false tip by someone with a grudge? It's even possible that the tipster was somebody who tried to break into Frederick's house the week before.
Here are some details that are surfacing to date:
- Frederick claims to have been defending his home, having had a break-in the previous week (and says the police told him they knew he had a break-in and knew who did it).
- The warrant, based on information from an informant (it's looking a lot like the informant was the one who broke into Frederick's house), was for a large sophisticated marijuana grow operation in a detached garage. The police, after a very long delay and a second search, claim to have seized some lights and some marijuana (but no indication of seizing any quantity -- a sure sign that they only found some smokables).
- Frederick is into gardening and landscaping and was growing both tomatoes and young Japanese Maple trees (which look like this).
- Frederick has no record, and admits to being a recreational pot smoker and having a small amount (3 joints) in his home. This is in general supported by statements of family and neighbors.
- Police say that they announced before their forced entrance. Neighbors never heard it.
- The city manager today will apparently announce that the police department "will undergo a top-to-bottom examination including looking into procedures, policies and equipment used by the force."
