City police seized 14 marijuana plants from a man's Woodland Avenue home late Saturday night after his 10-year-old daughter took pictures of the plants with her cellphone and sent the photos to her mother, who in turn notified authorities.
After going to the house with a search warrant and taking control of the plants, police arrested the father, Jeffrey Michael Maggs, 35, and his girlfriend, Jamie Lee Faust, 31, who share a home at 367 Woodland Ave.
Both have been charged with possession with intent to deliver marijuana, a felony; possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, both misdemeanors.
Maggs and his ex-wife, Christina Bonner, share custody of their daughter, police said in an affidavit.
The daughter told police that while she was at her father's home overnight Friday, she saw "strange plants growing in the kitchen under a lighting fixture. There also was a smoking device with what the child explained had green leaves in it," an officer said in an affidavit.
"The child took photos of the plants and smoking device with her cellphone and then sent the pictures to her mother's cellphone," the officer said. The mother "recognized the plants as being marijuana plants, and immediately called police," the officer added.
"The child also stated that about two month ago, while visiting her father's home, she went to the basement where she saw a large lighting fixture in the far corner of the basement. Her father walked into the basement and made her leave. He ordered her never to enter the basement again," the officer said.
Upon seeing the pictures on the girl's and her mother's cellphones, the officer recognized the plants as marijuana. A search warrant was then obtained.
"What we found was an indoor marijuana growing operation in the basement, which included several lighting fixtures, a ballast, pots with potting soil and no less than 14 marijuana plants," the officer said.
In the couple's living room, police discovered drug paraphernalia and and a baggie containing suspected marijuana.
Maggs and Faust were arraigned early Sunday morning before District Judge James Carn and released on $18,500 bail each.
