A woman reported missing to the Salinas Police Department last
week is the wife of a man who sheriff’s deputies say was growing
marijuana at a house in Prunedale.
By Daniel Lopez
A woman reported missing to the Salinas Police Department last week is the wife of a man who sheriff’s deputies say was growing marijuana at a house in Prunedale.
Ryann Bunnell Crow, 23, was last seen Jan. 30 in the Prunedale area, Salinas police said.
She did not report to her job Feb. 1 or 2, which police said is out of character for her.
Her family reported her missing Feb. 2. The same day, Monterey County Sheriff’s deputies raided a house in the 7600 block of Chester Drive, where more than 300 marijuana plants were found in a hydroponic system.
Deputies said Jesse Crow, 33, was growing the plants. He is the missing woman’s husband.
Sheriff’s spokesman Cmdr. Mike Richards referred questions about Ryann Crow’s disappearance to Salinas police. A police sergeant in charge of investigations did not return a call Monday.
Salinas police in a news release Friday said Ryann’s family and husband have been cooperative with the investigation.
Richards said that deputies have spoken to Jesse Crow about the marijuana and that he has a medical marijuana card.
Deputies have not arrested him but are preparing a case for review by the Monterey County District Attorney’s office, Richards said.
Jesse Crow may face charges of grand theft after the electric meter to the house was allegedly by-passed, plus a possible charge for marijuana cultivation. Richards said prosecutors will have to consider recent case law concerning the number of plants that can be legally possessed for medical purposes.
Ryann Bunnell Crow was last seen driving a white 2002 Chevrolet Malibu with “Othmann” car dealership paper plates. The car has a sticker of a butterfly in the rear window.
Salinas police are asking for help finding Crow, who is 5 feet 8 inches tall, 170 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes.
Police ask anyone with information to call detective Brian Canaday at 758-7145 or detective James Knowlton at 758-7442.
