Marijuana Break-In Goes Bad – Twice

At failed break-in at the Acme Collective, a non-profit
marijuana dispensary, ended in the arrest of three Santa Maria men
— Tyler Brown, 21; Derrick Treur, 19, and Jacob Ray, 19. Around 2
a.m. Tuesday morning, a resident living near the dispensary
reported seeing men wearing dark clothing and prowling suspiciously
near the Acme Collective, which is located at 213 W. Victoria
Street in Santa Barbara. When police arrived, they noted a Black
Saturn sedan driving down the street. In a press release about the
incident, Sgt. Paul McCaffrey noted that, once stopped by police,
the men gave the “unlikely explanation that they were tired from
driving home to Santa Maria, and were just looking for a place to
rest.” The men reportedly fumbled around in their pockets and
dropped latex gloves onto the ground in an attempt to present their
identification.

Upon searching the suspects’ car, police also found bolt
cutters, which led police to conclude that the three had also
attempted to break into the Pacific Greens marijuana dispensary,
located at 816 N. Milpas Street. The cutting of a padlock sounded
an alarm at Pacific Greens approximately fifteen minutes before
police contacted the three men near the Acme Collective.

Brown was booked for attempt burglary, prowling, and violation
of probation. Treur was booked for attempt burglary and prowling;
and Ray was booked for attempt burglary, prowling, and possession
of burglary tools.

Glen Mowrer, owner of the Acme Collective, said nothing was
stolen and that such break-ins are rare. “It’s a common thing with
a lot of other [dispensaries] that have this kind of problem,” he
said. “But this is the first attempted break-in here.” Mowrer
credited t he vigilance of his neighbors in preventing the crime.
As the Acme Collective is a non-profit, Mowrer said that the
building houses the supply of marijuana, some paraphernalia, and a
small amount of cash, most of which is paid out to vendors and
suppliers. Mowrer said he also employs video surveillance.