Officer follows his nose to make drug arrest

COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS — Cottonwood Heights police sniffed out a marijuana growing operation over the weekend.

An officer responding as backup on another incident arrived in the area of 1500 East and 6700 South about 10:30 p.m. Sunday and could smell burnt marijuana, according to a Salt Lake County Jail report.

The smell led the officer to a house about 20 feet away. He knocked on the door and questioned the tenant who consented to the house being searched, the report states.

In the upstairs bedroom, police said they found several mason jars filled with marijuana along with drug paraphernalia. Additional jars filled with marijuana were found in a drawer in the man's bedroom, according to the report.

Investigators then looked at the basement area where they found a growing operation complete with special lights and a watering system, said Cottonwood Heights Police Sgt. Gary Young.

There were five large pot plants and additional jars of previously harvested product, he said.

"It was a mid-size operation. It was a modest residential marijuana grow," Young said.

In addition, a shotgun and a rifle were found in a closet as well as a loaded handgun hidden between the mattress and box springs of the man's bed, the report states.

Clay Akes, 33, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute as well as weapons and drug paraphernalia violations.

— Pat Reavy Twitter: DNewsCrimeTeam