# Suspiciously High Power Bill Leads to Marijuana Arrests



## FruityBud (Nov 26, 2008)

A tipster and a look at a JEA bill has led to 4 arrests for growing marijuana in Atlantic Beach.

Jacksonville Sheriff's Officers arrested 3 adults and a juvenile after finding a garden in a closet Sunday afternoon.

Police say they received a tip that marijuana was being grown at the house at 859 Rudder Rd., and checked the JEA bill, which was several hundred dollars higher than the neighborhood average.

One of the people who lived at that house near Mayport Middle School, James Philpot, was also wanted by police.

According to police, officers knocked on the door, and could already smell marijuana from the porch. The homeowner, James Floyd, answered the door and confirmed there was marijuana in the house.

Police arrested 44-year-old James Floyd, his wife Tara Floyd, 39, and his son James Philpot, 23.

When they searched the house, police saw a closet that had been converted into a grow room, complete with many lights, tin foil-lined walls, and jugs of water.

Police also arrested a juvenile who told police that Philpot bought the marijuana and all of the paraphernalia used for growing and smoking it from the internet. The juvenile said Philpot told him he was tired of buying marijuana, and wanted to grow it himself.

Philpot told police that he was trying to grow a new strand of marijuana, and that the family had smoked most of what he had already grown.

James and Tara Floyd both said similar things to police, and said the family smokes marijuana together.

Police confiscated the marijuana and the things used to help grow it in the closet.

*hxxp://tinyurl.com/68b7p2*


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## ishnish (Nov 26, 2008)

so now people get arrested for trying to save money in a failing economy?
this is asinine....


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## trillions of atoms (Nov 30, 2008)

well i gotta admire his want to grow a "new strand", but tinfoil?

he needed MJP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Tater (Dec 2, 2008)

That an how can a closet grow = a few extra hundred dollars in electricity?  I call bull crap.

Edited for cursing, sorry my fingers must have slipped.  The letters are like right beside each other lol.


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## SFC (Dec 4, 2008)

Yea, something don't add up.


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## noneedforalarm (Dec 4, 2008)

SFC said:
			
		

> Yea, something don't add up.



isnt that how it usually is? heh


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## strawberrycough (Dec 4, 2008)

power bill increase from a closet grow.........

maybe if it were a 10x10 closet with lotsa manufactured sun and wind


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## Motor City Madman (Dec 5, 2008)

Thank you my 2 boxes are 4'x4'x4' one has a 400 watt hps and the other has 400 watts of fluorescents and fans in both and it only costs me $35 a month to run the HPS on 12hr and the CFLS on 24hr timer.


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## eastla_kushsmoka (Dec 5, 2008)

people need to live there own lives and not worry about the next person doing what they do it never ends up good for the person that did "the right thing"


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## omnigr33n (Dec 5, 2008)

Whatever the power bill was or was not.  They smelled the marijuana from outside, that I suppose was probably cause enough for them to go into the house.  

The moronic thing to do was ADMIT to it.


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## eastla_kushsmoka (Dec 5, 2008)

omnigr33n said:
			
		

> Whatever the power bill was or was not. They smelled the marijuana from outside, that I suppose was probably cause enough for them to go into the house.
> 
> The moronic thing to do was ADMIT to it.


 
he probably already knew he was done ..


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## Alistair (Dec 5, 2008)

The article did say that there were many lights.  But still, that would have to be a fairly big closet in order to merit a big bill like that.  I imagine that they had many other appliances in their house too.

Personally I get a break on the electricity, because where I live the electric company gives you a break if you qualify for low-income.  My bill is only about $35.00 a month, on average.  However, I know people on the same plan as me, and they pay about $200.00 a month, and they don't grow.  They simply have a lot of appliances, and are careless with their consumption of their utilities.


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## Tater (Dec 5, 2008)

Many lights could mean many CFL's.


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## Alistair (Dec 5, 2008)

True.


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## SFC (Dec 5, 2008)

I like how they mention the proximity to the school. I hate drug warriors.


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## BuddyLuv (Dec 5, 2008)

I run 2 1000w HIDs and my bill is not hundreds of dollars. Even in the dead heat of summer with A/c on full blast and everything running my bill was only 200. Someone snitched and then they looked into ways to gather evidence.


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## Thorn (Dec 5, 2008)

poor family, sounds like they really did just want their own pot  oh dear another one nites the dust.. I wonder what 'many lights' they were using and how much the 'high' power bill was? must have be HID lighting surely. Who knows


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## Fadeux (Dec 5, 2008)

well, at 10 cents per kilowatt hour, for a bill of $300.00, that allows 3000 kw/h. To simplify the equivalent, If you were running ONE 1000w HPS, you would need to run it for THREE THOUSAND HOURS to achieve this bill. If you had ten 1000w lights, it would take 300 hours all being lit at the same time. Lets say you had 100 of these 1000w HPS. You would need to run ALL off them at the same time for 30 hours. 

Not exact math, but it does make the point that they're lying about this power crap.


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## whiterussian (Dec 5, 2008)

BuddyLuv said:
			
		

> I run 2 1000w HIDs and my bill is not hundreds of dollars. Even in the dead heat of summer with A/c on full blast and everything running my bill was only 200. Someone snitched and then they looked into ways to gather evidence.


 
Yeah man i got my full set up and we used to run our AC all day too when it was hot but we got a 4 bedroom house and the bill was always 400 even before we were growing, it really only increases your bill about 50 bucks if that


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## ugmjfarmer (Dec 6, 2008)

You guys are all right. The problem is two fold. One, there was probably not enough power being consumed to warant a high power bill knock and talk. Thats most likely hogwash that they printed in order to scare anybody with a closet. This is a publicity case, just so people know that Big Brother still wants to screw you over for hurting nobody.

The second problem, Tinfoil and many lights could mean mylar and many HPS's. We dont know anything because the police are not experts in growing technology and never print what equipment the people used. This is mostly so they dont detail how they caught them, and tell the public how to grow it as well. 

The whole problem with these poor peoples defense is that they let them in. The police would have said they had a warrant if they did have one. And the "I smell pot" defense is usually enough to warrant a search regardless.

Tighten your lips people. Buy extra odor protection. And never, never run more than 1) 1000w bulb for each room in your house. I used to have electronic heat and my bills were an easy $250. Think about it.


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## viper1951 (Dec 6, 2008)

when I'm growing in the winter   I don't turn on the heat in the house  and only use the fire place so my bill never vary s always 100.00 per month   we have high electricity rates up here you know everyone has to have as much out of your wallet  as possible   like the Government  they feel if the government can do it then why not us    really sucks for those people someone had to rat them off  more then likely wouldn't share with them so turn them in


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## whiterussian (Dec 8, 2008)

viper1951 said:
			
		

> when I'm growing in the winter I don't turn on the heat in the house and only use the fire place so my bill never vary s always 100.00 per month we have high electricity rates up here you know everyone has to have as much out of your wallet as possible like the Government they feel if the government can do it then why not us really sucks for those people someone had to rat them off more then likely wouldn't share with them so turn them in


 
100 bucks per month and thats high? where do you leave a studio appartment thats really cheap


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## Kilowatt2008 (Jan 17, 2009)

I have read the responses. I finally got my hands on a RPU-190.
I have been told it is a 2nd degree misdameanor = to a speeding ticket and comes with a $300 fee to reset your meter.

I did install it for I am running 5 1000w + 4 Blowers + 5tons A/C the 16 dual pumps and 2 attic fans.:holysheep:

My 1st bill was nearly $600. I was told using this RPU-190 is Illegal for the power companies will not give you the permission to use it. 

Wonder why when you could save 50%.  Let you know how it works in 2 weeks then when i get my bill then I will let you know when i get a FULL CYCLE in. 

I will be the guinee pig for this.
 I just need another 62 days and I wont care what my bill is ...

I lie anything over $800 in my area calls for a fly over and 2 drive bys to inspect.


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## tesla (Jan 17, 2009)

Kilowatt2008    "anything over $800 in my area calls for a fly over and 2 drive bys to inspect" 
How do you know this? Public info? Talkin out the side of your neck? Just wondering. 
From what I read about the RPU-190, Looks to good to be true.


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## Hick (Jan 18, 2009)

Kilowatt2008 said:
			
		

> I have read the responses. I finally got my hands on a RPU-190.
> I have been told it is a 2nd degree misdameanor = to a speeding ticket and comes with a $300 fee to reset your meter.
> 
> I did install it for I am running 5 1000w + 4 Blowers + 5tons A/C the 16 dual pumps and 2 attic fans.:holysheep:
> ...



"]I have read the responses. I finally got my hands on a RPU-190.
I have been told it is a 2nd degree misdameanor = to a speeding ticket and comes with a $300 fee to reset your meter.".. and  what is the penalty for felony cultivation?? 

A "simple" solution??.. 
STOP the commercial op..
grow your own and stop trying to get rich off it. "YOU" are part of the problem.. rather than the solution.. "*IMHO*"


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## puffmadizm (Jan 19, 2009)

thanks for the post..what did he have 5 1kwatters in the closet? sheesh


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